A Chance To Change Everything
by Elvish Crystal
Summary: I know there are a lot of these..another MWPP time. With time travel and everything. Story about a girl at Hogwarts, Trio's friend, and her chance to change the past and future Please RR! My first one ever!
1. The Change

Author's note: I do not own Harry Potter, the things from the books or anything of that sort. That is all J.K. Rowling's stuff.. I just enjoy playing in her brilliant world.

**The Change**

Courtney sat down under her favorite tree near the lake. She was uneasy with the thought of her friend, Harry, and the rise of Voldemort. It had been over two months since the Tri Wizard Tournament but he still kept fighting all the criticism. School would be starting soon and she had a feeling the Slytherins were not going to ease up either. He had lost so much and still had a long way to go. She wished that she could somehow help him out.

The summer break was almost over but she was still bored. She was stuck at Hogwarts until her godfather, Severus Snape, was done with his little missions for Dumbledore. She turned her head at the sound of approaching footsteps, it was Dumbledore. "Hello Courtney, how is your day going?" He greeted her. She smiled at him, "It's great, thanks." She was pretty good at lying, except to her godfather and Dumbledore.

"Now Courtney you can't expect me to believe that. You have been walking around this place like you have just lost your best friend." She smirked, _well it was worth the try._ "Yeah, I know. It's just.. I'm worried about Harry. He has gone through so much and he still isn't halfway through it yet." Dumbledore nodded, "It is true that Harry has still a long road ahead of him, but you must remember that he is strong. Also with caring friends like yourself, you can help him through it." She nodded and looked at the lake. "Just wish I could help him more."

Dumbledore had a certain twinkle in his eye that told her he was up to something. "I know you want to help. If you were given the chance to go back and change things for the better would you?" She smiled at the old man, "In a heartbeat." Dumbledore eyed her, "Even if it meant you would have to give up something valuable?" He was surprised when she didn't even have to think about the answer, "If it would make it better, yes."

He nodded, "Well Courtney, you must do what you can with the time your given here on earth. Only those who live life to the fullest truly appreciate friends like you do." The smile on her face faded somewhat, "When you've lived like I have, you learn that_ good_ friends don't come around that often." Dumbledore put a hand on her head and muttered something she couldn't make out. "I didn't catch that professor, what did you say?" He just looked at her with a smile, "I was just talking to myself, dear. Good day to you, and good luck."

She watched the old man walk away. _What do I need luck for? Maybe it's his way of saying have a nice day type of thing. Oh well._

She stood up and walked to the edge of the forest, she had promised her godfather that she would gather some potion ingredients while he was gone. She pulled out a small piece of parchment and looked at the things that he needed. _Is this all really necessary? Gawd, I will be out here all day._ Which she didn't mind, she loved the forest. She came out here a lot, especially after she had an encounter with a centaur.

She was pretty deep in the woods looking for a certain type of purple flower when she heard something. She spun around, nothing. There was a distinct sound of a twig snapping only a few feet behind her. She spun around again and stepped backwards. She lost her footing and hit the ground hard.

Her head ached from the fall and she heard some voices nearby. She refused to open her eyes because the pain was too great. She concentrated hard on the voices and tried to make out what they said, but they were slightly muffled.

"Moony what is it?!" Shouted someone.

"It's a girl, she's unconscious though." Came a man's voice very close by. She felt cold and for some reason, and soaking wet. She felt someone's arms wrap around her and pull her up. There was a great rushing sound and she could hear the voices better. "Where did she come from?" came another voice, not heard before. She was laid down somewhere, she felt a hand touch her throat. "She's breathing." She heard footsteps by her head, "She isn't bad looking, and she's unconscious. I think it's a sign."

There was a snicker from someone and a, "Shut up, Padfoot" from the person by her side. She felt a hand being placed on her forehead, "She's bleeding a little. What should we do?" Padfoot, as he was called, said, "I'll tell you what I think we should do." There was a burst of laughter from the snickering person from earlier. She heard a soft smirk from the person by her side. The hand on her forehead traveled to the bottom of her head and found the soft spot, that she had hit on something hard.

She snapped her eyes open and sat up quickly. This startled the men and they backed away. Courtney almost fainted when she registered what she saw. There was a young Remus Lupin by her side. A young Sirius Black close behind her, a Harry-look-a-like sitting on a big rock and a small, cowering Peter Pettigrew. She looked at them with disbelief as they looked at her in shock.

She finally broke the silence, "What? Where did you guys come from?" Remus glanced at his friends and shared a look of confusion. "Actually we were wondering what you were doing out in the middle of the pond, drowning yourself." She looked at them as if they were all naked. "I wasn't trying to kill myself if that's what your thinking." There was a smirk, "Then what were you doing out there?" She looked at Sirius, "Me? What are you guys doing here?"

They all looked at each other, Remus looked at her with concern. "We always come here. Are you feeling ok? I think we should take you to Madam Pomfrey." She shook her head, "No, no....no..not her. I'm fine, it's just.. Why am I even talking to you? I don't even know you." She had to play along until she found out what was going on. James stood up, "Well I'm James, this is Pad- Sirius. Over there is Peter and he is Remus. Now that you know our names, what's yours?" She felt the soft spot on her head and winced with pain, "The names Courtney, nice to meet ya."

Remus helped her stand up, "Well I've never seen you before, you new?" She nodded, "Fifth year exchange student." _What have I gotten myself into? Why are they all... young and still with that traitor?!_ She looked around, "Well, gentlemen, I bid you adieu." They watched as she started to walk out into the forest, then come back. "Alright, I know what your thinking 'she's gone completely off her rocker'. But where in the bloody hell am I!"

Sirius and James said something and laughed at her, She snorted. "If you don't tell me I will curse you!" They turned serious and pulled out their wands, she felt around for her own. "Where the bloody hell is it!" They looked at each other before busting with laughter. She heard Remus clear his throat, he was holding out her wand. "You dropped it." She looked at him and then James and Sirius, "Drop it." Remus looked confused, "What?" She pointed to the ground, "Drop it." He did so and watched as she walked over and picked it up herself.

"Thank you, but I have to save whatever dignity I have." She turned to the two laughing men, "So are you going to help me or not?" Sirius rolled his eyes, "Yeah we will, put that away before you hurt yourself. See how well trained she.." There was a flash of light and Sirius was pinned against the large rock, wand on the forest floor. "I am pretty well trained, so don't push my buttons." She waved her wand and Sirius plopped onto the ground, "Now will you gentlemen be so kind and take me to the school." Remus and James were laughing at a cursing Sirius.


	2. Meeting New People

Author's Note: This is turning out to be a pretty nice story, I think so anyway. Well same as the last chapter.. do not own Harry Potter.. so on and so forth. Trying to update asap.. that means as soon as I come up with ideas for the next chapter! Thanks for reading! I love you!

Now, the show must go on!... (a wonderful song by Queen)

**Meeting New People**

After what seemed like hours, they finally arrived at the edge of the Forbidden Forest. "Ah, thanks guys. I really have to go and see Professor Dumbledore. See ya around!" They said their goodbyes and watched the girl run up to the castle. She reached the Headmaster's office with only a few glances from several students. She tried the old password for the stairs and failed to make it move. She kicked the statue in frustration, a pain shot up her foot and leg "Cheezy crackers!" She was surprised to see the statue move aside and allowed her to ascend.

She entered without knocking and found Dumbldore busy writing on a piece of parchment. "Professor Dumbledore, sir. I have to speak with you, now." He didn't even look up,

"Courtney, you were given a chance to change things for the better. Don't mess it up, you only get one chance. You have the excuse that you are an exchange student from America. You are still in your same house, in fifth year. I will have Remus Lupin assist you with your things." He pointed to a corner of the room. Her mouth fell open: _how_ had all of her things gotten here? "Remus will help you to the Gryffindor Tower and give you the password."

She spun around and looked at the old man, "How do you know what is going on?"

He looked at her curiously, "How do I know what is going on, Miss Kipley?" He smiled with the same twinkle in his eye and winked at her. Just then the door opened and in came Remus.

"You sent a ghost for me professor?"

Dumbledore nodded, "Please take Miss Kipley to the Gryffindor Tower and tell her the password. If you would like to show her around that would be wonderful."

She followed Remus, who was also in his fifth year at Hogwarts, to the tower. He carried her suitcase, that was shrunk to fit in his pocket, and told her the password.

"Girls dorm is up there, you will sleep with the rest of the fifth year girls. The boys dorm is that way, not that you need to know, just if your curious. Let's see, do you want me to show you around?"

She shook her head, "No thank you Remus. I pretty much know where everything is. I've read a lot of books about Hogwarts," she added when he gave her a curious look.

He nodded, "I am going to be out on the grounds with James, Sirius, and Peter. You're welcome to join us whenever you want. It was a group decision." He smiled at her. _Is he blushing?_Courtney thought.She nodded and looked away, her cheeks a little warm.

She unpacked her things and ventured down the many stairs to the Entrance Hall. There were several students walking towards the door, they wore black and green robes. _They must be Slytherins._ She saw that one in the group had shoulder length black hair, _Severus!_ She followed the group of Slytherins outside until she decided to join her friends by the lake.

She was halfway there when the small group of Slytherins approached her. She was certain that the one with black hair was Severus, another had almost white hair and wore a sneer. _Malfoy:_ she recognized him almost immediately. There was another wizard, he looked several years younger than his two companions. He also had lengthy black hair, and a smirk on his face. She stopped as they blocked her path. "Who are you? I've never seen you here before." Malfoy addressed her.

"I guess you wouldn't, I'm an exchange student."

The three men looked at each other, "Well, what's your name?"

"The name is Courtney. May I ask yours?" Even though she knew the two already she was curious to know who was with them.

"Lucius Malfoy, fifth year. This is Severus Snape, same year." The younger of the three stepped closer, he looked awfully familiar. _He looks like..._ Her thoughts were cut off when someone grabbed her arm and pulled her away.

"Don't get near these guys." Someone whispered in her ear as she was forced behind Sirius. She saw that Sirius had his wand out and so did James. Severus and his friends also had their wands out.

"Bugger off, Potter! This is none of your business!" Severus shouted as he pointed his wand at James' face. She was shocked that there was about to be a duel, because of her.

"Whoa! What are you doing?!" She stepped in the middle of the two groups, turning and pleading with her eyes at her friends. "I was just introducing myself, nothing was going on."

Sirius glared at the men behind her without lowering his wand. "Well now that you have met this git and his scum friends, we're going." Her wrist was grabbed by a furious Sirius. He dragged her towards the lake, the rest of the group followed, leaving the three Slytherins behind.

When Sirius finally let go of her wrist, it was very red. She rubbed it and looked at the now calm and relaxed man. "What was that all about?" Remus had taken a seat next to the base of the tree. James was standing at Sirius' feet, who was sitting in the grass next to Remus. She noticed that Peter was talking to himself as he looked from face to face.

"Don't go near those gits. You don't want to hang out with _them_." She saw that the three Slytherins had walked over to a larger group of students and were mingling.

"Why not? They seemed alright."

Sirius gave her a looked that made her feel two inches tall. "No, they are all the same, Slytherin scum."

She rolled her eyes, "Well who was that one with black hair?"

"Snape," James answered venomously.

She shook her head, "I know who that is, the other one."

Sirius frowned, "That's my good-for-nothing brother, Regulus." He cursed his brother under is breath.

"Well, I'm going to go and explore the grounds. I guess I will see you guys later." Before she could get two yards away the young men were at her sides. "What are you guys doing?"

Sirius shrugged, "You might get lost, or have some trouble. We wanted to come along."

"Besides," James added glaring at the group of Slytherins, "You don't want one of those gits catching you alone." Courtney smiled. This wasn't going to be as bad as she had expected.


	3. Talk of Secrets

Author's note: Just in case you missed it in the first chapter.. I do not own Harry Potter or anything in the Harry Potter books. I just enjoy playing with them! Also, if anyone has ideas or suggestions for future chapter, do not hesitate to leave me a note! Thanks much!

**Talk of Secrets**

Courtney had no trouble finding her way around the castle. For one, she already knew where most of everything was. Second, either James, Sirius, Remus or Peter would walk with her to her class. Most of the time the five fifth years were seen walking together to most of their classes.

Courtney, wanting more of a challenge, took some more advanced classes. Sirius thought she was weird for wanting more work to do.

"What do you need more classes for? You already know a lot of stuff. Your brain is going to shutdown from an overload one of these days!" He would tell her as she struggled through her two parchment essays that were due the next day.

"Thanks Sirius, I'll keep that in mind."

James laughed, "no, don't do that. Then your sure to have an overload."

One day, as they were walking to their Defense Against the Dark Arts class, they stopped on the third floor; directly in front of an old statue. James looked behind his back and down the hall, then nodded to the rest of them.

"Alright Courtney, after much discussion, we decided to tell you that there are secret passageways in this castle-"

"-and some out of it." Remus interrupted.

James nodded, "these passageways led to several different places. One leads to Honeydukes, one to the Shrieking Shakes, and there's one to-"

"-alright she gets it! There are seven actually, and they all lead somewhere. The point is we wanted to show you this one." Taking out his wand, Sirius tapped the humped-backed statue and said, "dissendium" . The statue's hump moved to reveal a path that led down into the ground.

Courtney was in awe. Harry had told her about it but she had never actually got to see it. Amazed by the statue and its secret, Courtney jumped when a loud bell sounded throughout the halls. Remus quickly pulled out his wand and tapped the statue, "we will have to show you to Honeydukes later. Come on, lets get to class."

The lesson was incredibly boring in Defense. James and Sirius, who took a seat next to each other, entertained themselves by playing tic-tac-toe. Courtney jotted down a note and passed it to James and Sirius. It read:

_Just curious, have you made a map of the passageways? You know, just incase you forget._

Professor Treeshall had just got done explaining how minotaurs ripped their victims limbs from their bodies when-

"It's brilliant!" Sirius shouted, causing the entire class to look at him in wonder. The Slytherins scowled at his outbreak. Courtney, who had been paying attention, could not hold back a giggle.

Professor Treeshall walked over to the pair of troublemakers. "What, may I ask, is so brilliant, Mr. Black?" Sirius hesitated for a second but James filled in, "he has read about-er-"

Courtney coughed, it sounded a lot like minotaurs.

"About minotaurs. He finds them fascinating." Sirius turned around to face his friend, "I do not!" he whispered loudly.

Professor Treeshall raised an eyebrow, "well if they are truly that fascinating, you don't mind doing a parchment essay on the minotaur. It is due when you walk into class, Wednesday. All of you."

There was a collective groan from the class, several people sent glares to Sirius. The bell rang and the class filed out. Courtney waited at the door for her friends.

Sirius almost knocked her over, "it's the best idea since... since.."

"Toast?" Courtney added. He gave her a concerned look but agreed that toast was an awesome thing. Remus, who was siting next to Peter in class, sighed in confusion.

"Care to share what the great idea is?" Peter nodded his head frantically, "we want to know!"

Sirius pocketed the note, "I will tell you but lets get to lunch first. I'm starved!"

The five of them sat in a square at the table. Courtney, next to James, explained her idea to Remus and Peter, who sat on the opposite side.

"I was just thinking that you guys should make a map of Hogwarts, so you don't forget the passageways."

Sirius shoveled another spoonful of mashed potatoes in his mouth, "wa du to mean by 'to guys'?" To her relief he swallowed his food, "you came up with the idea! You should be part of it too!"

James, Sirius, Remus and Peter swapped looks. Somehow, they made a silent agreement.

"You're in!" James said out of nowhere.

She blinked, looking very confused. Remus got the clue, "Courtney, we officially accept you as a Marauder. But there are some things you must agree to. To never give our secrets to anyone, and we mean no one. Also," he made sure no one was listening besides their group, "James, Peter and Sirius are unregistered animagi."

Courtney nodded, "alright, I can handle that. I am an animagus too, but-" Courtney had been a registered animagus when Severus forced her to register.

James eyed her, "but what?"

She shook her head, "never mind, I'm not registered either."

Sirius shrugged and continued to feed himself chicken. Courtney was forced to look at her food when he continued to talk, with his mouth full. "Oh, tand Moonty is a-" Remus gave him a glare that would silence even the bravest of wizards. He swallowed his food, "not an animagus. He's 'special', but don't tell him that."

Remus rolled his eyes and lazily flicked his spoonful of corn at Sirius. "Opps, sorry. It's my spasms again, can't control those darn things."

Before anyone knew it there was a full fledged food fight at their section of the Gryffindor table. Professor Treeshall, who was already on bad terms with the five of them, stormed over.

"What is the meaning of this?!"

The Gryffindor table gasped when a glob of potatoes landed on the professor's face.

"A WEEKS DETENTION! ALL OF YOU! NOW GO TO YOUR DORMS!"

The five marauders scampered out of the Great Hall like a lighting bolt. They raced up to their dorm, James and Sirius hexing any student they passed. When they reached the comfort of the common room they all collapsed in the chairs.Each exchanged glances before bursting with laughter.

"That was awesome!" "Did you see the look on his face!?" "Did you see the potatoes!"

By the time the rest of the house came to the common room for bed, they were working on their essay that they had gotten the entire class. They all received glares from students as they marched up to their dorms. James looked up suddenly, Courtney followed his gaze. A redhead had just walked through the portrait. She was talking to her friend about the upcoming visit to Hogsmeade. James ran a hand through his hair, making it look even messier. Courtney elbowed his side after the girl had disappeared in her room.

"What?" he asked innocently.

Courtney rolled her eyes and returned her attention to the essay.

"What?" he continued to poke.

She looked up at him, "well it's obvious you fancy her."

At this Sirius, Remus and Peter looked up, their full attention on James. "He likes who?"

James frowned, "I don't like anyone. She doesn't know what she's talking about."

Sirius was not buying this answer. He leaned towards Courtney, "is he looking at Lily again?" he whispered.

James was on his feet in a second. "What did he tell you?"

"He didn't tell me anything. He asked me something, though." Courtney replied innocently, smiling up at James. He looked miffed at her, his fist balled up. "Now seriously James, if it was something worth while I would tell you. He just asked a question, I never answered. So, no harm done."

James seemed cooled down and returned to his essay. The five all worked quietly. The sound of quills scratching against paper filled the empty room. Sirius, unable to resist, coughed. Unfortunately, it sounded a lot like Lily Evans. James tackled Sirius and they toppled to the floor. Remus, Courtney and Peter watched as the two rolled around on the floor, trying to punch one another.

Remus shook his head and yawned, "well, I'm tired. Think I'll head off to bed. Night, guys." Peter followed Remus with a mumbled "night".

Courtney watched the two wrestle some more before getting tired herself. She stood and approached them, "alright guys that's enough. I think you-" Sirius starred at her before tripping her. She fell to the ground and was being pushed around, playfully, by the two idiots. The wrestling quickly ended when Courtney bit James in the arm and kicked Sirius in the shin.

"Night, you two," she said gleefully as she retreated to her own room. The boys, defeated and slightly soar, slumped to their rooms.


	4. Nicknames and Potions

Author's Note: I think this is an okay story. There is always room for improvement though. SO anywho, same as all the other chapter... do not own Harry Potter or any part of it... I hope you enjoy this chapter. Severus makes another appearance! Whee!

And a special Thank You to my beta reader- Jessica! _standing ovation_

Yep! Thanks Jess!

**Nicknames and Potions **

The week went by slow, for Courtney anyway. Classes were becoming harder, which was to be expected. Also, she had to help the rest of the Marauders with their homework. Sirius kept on telling her not to worry and loosen up a bit.

"You're seriously going to make yourself ill if you keep going at this pace. You need to relax! Take a breather!" Of course, it was easy for him to say that. He did care about his studies, just not as much.

Remus, also seeing the stress building up on her, came up with the bright idea to... "I know! Why don't we visit Hogsmeade? That ought to help you."

Courtney frowned, "Remus, it's a wonderful idea, but if you haven't noticed the next visit isn't for another few weeks."

"Who says we have to go with the school? We have the secret passageway. May as well get use of it."

Before she could protest, Courtney was seized by the wrist and yanked from the common room. The five Marauders walked towards the third floor, bundling up for the cold passageway.

"You're going to love it, Court! Loads of candy and other junk. Of course, there are things there that are for vampires. Like the blood flavored suckers, you don't want those. But the chocolate-"

Sirius, who had been leading the way, froze.

Courtney bumped into his back, "Hey! What are-"

Remus clamped a hand over her mouth. "Be quiet. Someone's over there!"

There was a group of students conversing next to the statue. They did not seem to notice the marauders had arrived. Their backs were turned towards them, leaving them at the mercy of Sirius and James. Which wasn't likely.

Sirius grinned, pulling out his wand. James did the same, slowly approaching the students. Courtney could now see that they were Slytherins, she also retrieved her wand.

"Well, look what we have here! Scum, running freely around the castle," Sirius said loudly. He waved his wand lazily around, threatening to hex anyone who moved.

The Slytherins, wands already out, spun around to face the advancing troublemakers. It, unfortunately, was the same group they had had problems with before.

James smiled, "We can't have that. Can we, Padfoot?"

Sirius stopped and faced James, who was at his side. "I think you're right, Prongs. Time to fix this problem!"

There were several flashes of light sent at the Slytherin group. Severus ducked a spell, Malfoy blocked one with a charm, and Regulus jumped backwards. Malfoy muttered a spell and sent it at James. James ducked, leaving a hole for the spell to get through, it went straight for Courtney.

"Ricocheta!" Courtney shouted. A blue flash of light collided with the spell, sending it back to its producer. Malfoy was knocked off his feet, hitting the ground _hard_.

"It's a professor! Run!" Remus shouted at James and Sirius.

"Going at this rate, we're never going to be able to show you Hogsmead." James said pocketing his wand. "Let's just go outside and take a break."

It was a sunny day out. A light, cool breeze wiped around the grounds, ruffling the student's cloaks. Finding nothing better to do, the five of them sat beneath a tree next to the lake. Remus sat down and pulled out a small book and started to read. Courtney threw several small rocks into the lake, accidentally hitting the giant squid on its large head.

"You know," Sirius said breaking the silence, "We all have names for each other. That is everyone except you." He stared at Courtney, who plopped a rock on the ground.

"Well, I'm not going to fuss over it, you know. I don't mind if you-"

James shook his head, "Nope, you are a Marauder. You have to have a special name. Hmm, let's see. What is your animagus form?"

Courtney struck a pose, "A Frisian." They gave her blank stares that indicated they had no idea what it was. "You know, the big, black horses! The really pretty ones!" Still receiving blank stars, she gave up and slumped to the ground. "Aw, forget it." She wrapped her cloak into a ball and used it for a pillow, resting her eyes.

Sirius pick a leaf off the ground and twirled it around by its stem. "Well, since we can't figure out a name by your animagus form we can do something else." He gently sat the leaf on her nose. He laughed when she tried blowing it off but it went in her mouth.

"Not to be rude or anything, but you are a little shorter than most." James said playfully. "So we could call you shortie!"

"Hey! I take offense to that!"

Remus lifted his eyes from his book, "Or we could call you Elf." Everyone starred at the brown haired man. "What? It was just a suggestion."

"No, it was a good one. I like it, Elf. Courtney, you are now Elf." Sirius announced waving a hand into the air.

"I guess I don't get a say in this do I?"

"Nope, but you get another leaf." Sirius put another leaf on her nose, smirking at her struggle to remove it once more.

The next day they had Potions first thing. Of course they were not looking forward to this. Last potions class had landed Gryffindor with twenty points less then before the class started, and turning in a 'very important essay'. They filed in and took the seats in the back row.

The two fifth year Slytherins, that they had a brawl with, were several rows ahead of them. Malfoy turned around to glare at the Marauders and threaten to curse them. Severus, having enough, elbowed his companion without a word. Malfoy scowled and turned to face the front.

"Good evening class. I was some what disappointed by the results of the essays that you turned in to me." Professor Regal said. He swiftly began to pass back the essays to their owners.

James smiled when he got his back, "Look Elf, I got a grade higher! I didn't completely fail it!"

Sirius let out a moan and stuffed his in his book. Remus, who was good at potions, smiled at his paper and its grade.

Courtney realized that she had not gotten hers back. "Um, Professor. I think you forgot mine, I didn't get it back." At this Severus turned around and glanced at her, he hadn't gotten his back either.

"I know Miss Kipley. I would like to congratulate our top scorers. Mr. Snape and Miss. Kipley. You did a fine job, the both of you."

James, Sirius and Remus were gaping like fish. Courtney, throughly embarrassed, hit her head on her desk.

"Well, at least you did good." Sirius whispered to her, patting her back. She moaned in reply.

"Today we will we brewing a pretty advanced healing potion. Here are the instructions to follow," he pointed his wand at the chalkboard. The directions appeared in white letters. "And the things you will need are in the cupboard. Please find a partner and get started."

Sirius slyly wrapped an arm around Courtney, "Care to be my partner?" Courtney giggled when he winked at her.

"Oh no you don't, she was my partner first!" James said. He grabbed her arm and pulled her towards himself, almost making her fall.

While James and Sirius fought, Remus pulled Courtney towards his desk. "You can work with me! Forget them!"

"What is going on here?!" Professor Regal shouted annoyed. "James, you work with Sirius. Remus, you work with Peter. Miss. Kipley, you may work with... ah, Severus."

Severus, who had been abandoned by Malfoy, sat alone working on his potion. He spun around when the professor addressed him. "Yes, sir?"

Professor Regal led Courtney to his desk. "You will be working with Miss. Kipley. Get started."

Severus waited for the professor to turn his back until he gave her a disgusted look. She gave him an unsure smile. He turn his back on her, returning to his potion. Courtney felt really awkward. This was her godfather, mini style. He was never, usually, this bitter to her. He did not ignore her and he certainly never gave her _that _look.

"Alrighty then. How far have you gotten Severus?" She maneuvered around the desk so she could see his face and the caldron.

Bent over the potion, he only lifted his eyes to look up at her from the cauldron. She wore a friendly smile, her grey eyes sparkling. He had only had one person who was truly nice to him while he was at school. Of course he had a crush on that person, even though she would never have feelings for him.

He straightened, an ingredient in his left hand. "I just added the chopped roots, or perhaps you did not have the brains to notice." A smirk was on his face, but in all honesty he had no idea why he was mean to her. Other then the fact that she was in Gryffindor, hung out with the idiots, and tried to fry him in a duel. He rolled his eyes and returned his attention to the potion. He carefully sliced some plant petals to add to the mixture.

"Actually, you are supposed to slice them the vertical way." She pointed to the petals he was slicing. He looked at the petals, then the directions, then to her face. She still had a friendly look about her, not mocking in any way.

"Why, would you do that?" He asked ceasing to cut the plant.

"Well if you cut horizontally then the juices wont get to boil in the water the right way. Therefore, the potion will have lack of acids and will not be as affective. Just thought you should know." She tucked a stray piece of white-blonde hair behind her ear.

He raised an eyebrow at her, "I see. Well, you can cut them then." He pushed some new petals towards her and handed her a knife. He watched as she went to work, carefully cutting them in proportion. "Where did you learn so much about potions?"

Courtney almost laughed, "My godfather. He is awesome at potions."

Severus nodded, "Where did you go to school?"

"A school in America. Really nice one, too." She did not remove her gaze from the petals as she spoke. "Ah, there. All done." She scooped them up and sprinkled them in the potion.

"Is it that much different from your other school?"

"Nope, not really. I think I like it here better. Although I do miss my friends." She shrugged, "You going to put that in yet?" She pointed to the powdered shells that were to go in after the petals.

"Oh, right. Got sidetracked." They finished their potion after adding the rest of the ingredients and letting it simmer. Courtney took up the sample while Severus cleaned up their area. James and Sirius handed in a very thick, purple colored potion. Remus and Peter handed in a green colored potion, like Courtney, except it smelt funny.

"Alright class, do the assignment on page 322 and it is to be handed in next class. Don't forget and do try to put more effort into it."

Courtney made it back to her work area and started to pack her supplies into her bag. Severus had already gotten his things and was waiting for the bell to ring. Courtney got everything in just as the bell rang.

"Bye Courtney, hope to speak with you again." Severus said softly as he walked by with a slight smile.

"See you, Severus!" She said happily, waving a goodbye.

James and Sirius glared at Snape as he walked past them. Severus glared back just as venomously.

"Bugger off, Snivellus!" James spat at him.

The Marauders walked towards the Great Hall, all excited.

"You should have made it blow up on him, Elf! He deserves it!" James said with a smirk.

"You guys! He isn't half as bad as you make him out to be. My word."

Sirius and James gaped at her as if she had sprouted three other heads and a tail. She rolled her eyes at them.

"Oh, bless her soul she's been possessed by some evil demon that loves Slytherins! Someone help! There might be a chance to save her still!" Sirius shouted falling to his knees. James wiped away a fake tear, sniffling. Remus crossed his arms and rolled his eyes.

"Now, seriously, you are being completely ridiculous. I am me, honestly." She tried to pull Sirius up by the arms but he was too heavy. Sirius slowly looked up at her, an evil smile on his face. Courtney let out a yelp as he picked her up and threw her over his shoulder, dropping her bag.

"Alright, I'm convinced. To lunch!" He made slow progress with the shouting Courtney that insisted on being put down. Remus laughed and grabbed her bag, following the rest to the Great Hall.

**_  
So? Did you enjoy it or not? Review if you see fit... in other words: You better do it or I will send the evil plot bunnies on you! Actually, no I wouldn't do that but I would appreciate a review!_**

**_Also, the spell Courtney cast, Ricocheta, is a spell thatmakes another spell bounceoff and return to the original person. Don't know if J.K has come up with one (sure she has) but yep. That's my creative little spell!_**

**_I love you all!_**


	5. The Pitch

_Ah...yeah. Sorry for the looonnnnggggg ::cough:: wait. I had no idea where to go with this chapter. So I just started to write and, (believe it or not) it just stated to flow again. Yeah, it sounds like a brain fart that went wrong. Well, here it is. With the usual disclaimer, I may add. Thank you to all my lovely reviewers! I love you all!!!_

**The Pitch**

Sirius and James promised to go with Courtney to the Quidditch Pitch. Although she was not too interested in it, she followed anyway.

"You sure he said I could borrow his broom?" Courtney asked eyeing the broom of a third year Gryffindor. It was a top-of-the-line broom with a nice polished handle, it was obvious he cared for it a lot.

"Well, he didn't actually say it but we could tell he wouldn't mind. Besides, the school brooms are too old and slow. You need something fast for your first time flying out here!" James said as he led the way to the field.

"You did ask to borrow it though, right?"

"Oh look, we're here!" Sirius interrupted. He sent James a nervous look before turning around and smiling at her. "Of course he did. Didn't you?"

James looked lost but quickly nodded. He gave her a forced smile. "Course. Now, you know how to fly right? If not, we will teach you that too."

Courtney sighed. "Yes, I know how to fly a broom. I'm just not _good_ at it."

Sirius mounted his broom, "Well you better get good! You have to go to tryouts. That's why we are here, so you can practice. Now come on!"

Sirius and James took off with a whoosh, leaving Courtney, Peter, and Remus on the ground. Remus and Peter watched as the two warmed up, by playing chicken.

"You want to fly, Moony? You can have a go first if you want."

Remus shook his head, "I'm not that good either. I prefer to watch. Here, on the ground, feet firmly planted on the earth. You go ahead."

She smiled and swung her leg over the broom. "I so prefer a horse," she mumbled kicking off the ground. James and Sirius were zooming around, throwing a large, red ball as they went. They zipped past her, almost causing her to fall from her broom.

"Come on, Elf! You have to be faster then that!" Sirius shouted. Courtney clung to her broom like a cat. They laughed as she whimpered, scared shitless.

"Aw, come on. We wont let you fall! And we wont play chicken for a while, yet!" James shouted tossing the ball at her. Courtney quickly sat up and caught it, keeping her mind off the ground that was more than fifty feet below her.

Sirius and James zoomed around attempting to push the other off their broom. Courtney rolled her eyes as Sirius kicked James, making him turn upside down and almost hit one of the stadium's seating. Courtney put all her weight forward and her broom took off. Sirius had barely enough time to duck as she blazed past his head. "Hey! Watch where you're flying!" Courtney laughed at him and did a flip to face him. She threw the ball at him, he missed and let it fall. "Aw, is ickle Siri scared of a broom?" He narrowed his eyes at her. "You're going to get it!"

Within second, Sirius was chasing her around the goal posts, James right on his tail. Courtney looked over her shoulder, laughing at a cursing Sirius who almost hit a post.

"Watch it!" She whipped her head around just in time to see James coming headlong into her side. Their brooms collided with a sickening _crash_, sending Courtney flying to the ground.

Sirius swooped down to the ground and jumped off his broom, forgetting it completely. She was holding her left side and a stream of blood ran down the right side of her face. Remus and Peter were sprinting across the pitch. "Is she alright?" James and Remus asked in unison. Sirius carefully rolled her from her side to her back, "Hey, kid. You alright?"

Courtney looked up at Sirius' face with unfocused eye. She moaned and rubbed her head, "It's all fun and games until someone loses a nut." Sirius could not hold back a laugh. "Oh really? Is there something you want to tell us?" She smirked but then winced, holding her hand in the air for help. "Just get me up."

Sirius and Remus helped her up into a standing position, she was very wobbly. James looked incredibly guilty, "Sorry mate. I didn't mean to, I was just..." She waved it away, "I'm fine. Just a little shaken, I think. Now, back to the game." She stepped forward and almost collapsed but caught herself at the last minute.

"Maybe you ought to go to the hospital wing. You got hit pretty hard." Remus wrapped one of her arms around his neck, James followed suit. She didn't fight her supporters but refused to see "that crazy chick".

They made their way up to the common room and helped her to one of the red coaches. Sirius plopped down beside her, "You sure you don't want to go to the hospital wing? You want James to go snitch some potion from the professor?" She shook her head but quickly stopped, swaying a little. Sirius swapped concerned looks with the other guys. Remus opened his mouth to make a suggestion but stopped and looked at his hands.

"You know what, guys?" Courtney asked. "What?" Remus, James and Sirius said in unison, Peter seemed to be off in his own world. "I think I will tryout for the quidditch team. It sounds like fun."

Sirius chuckled a little and wrapped an arm around her shoulders, "I certainly am wearing off on her." He gave her a peck on the forehead, she rolled her eyes. James frowned, "I'm the quidditch expert. What are you talking about? She takes after me!"

Remus snorted at the two as they continued to fight. He left momentarily, coming back with a cold, damp washcloth. He knelt in front of the still dazed Courtney and wiped the blood off her face. "There, you're going to have a bruise, I think. But you don't look too bad off." She gave him a weary smile. "Thanks, Moony." He nodded a reply.

Courtney woke up the next morning in the common room with Remus hunched over in a chair, Sirius drooling on her shoulder, and James sprawled out on the fluffy rug in front of the fire. There was a click from the portrait as it opened and Peter walked in. Courtney immediately shut her eyes, leaving them open enough to watch him. He looked around the room and at the guys before putting on a sour face and marching up to the dormitory. Courtney saw that he was carrying a black cloak with him.

Courtney opened her eye and snorted in disgust. He was already in league with the other deatheaters. She giggled when Sirius snuggled up closed and groaned. She burst with laughter when he murmured, "Muffy bear." James sat up alarmed and looking around the room. Remus' head shot up and he almost tipped the chair. Sirius woke up and noticed where he had fallen asleep, he then noticed Courtney's soaked shoulder. He smiled sheepishly and tried to rub it off, "Sorry 'bout that."

All of them quickly got showered and dressed and met in the common room. "We have charms, double potions, and divination (they all made a face). And possibly a romp around the grounds tonight." They all agreed to the schedule until... "Maybe going to the pitch?" They all burst with different arguments.

Sirius glared at James and Remus, then cleared his throat. "We believe that is would be best for you to not fly for a few days." James gave a slow nod when Sirius made eye contact, "Yes..." he hesitated for a moment before catching himself, "You know it's not that fun either." He said the last part as if it ripped his insides out. Remus stepped up after Sirius elbowed him in the side. "You should stay-"

Courtney raised her hand. "First of all, you really need to rehearse this more. Second, I get the picture, I will wait a while. Happy?" A wave a relief spread over Remus' face, James and Sirius looked like they had swallowed a rotting rodent.

They all started to walk to the Great Hall together. Halfway there Courtney linked arms with Sirius, who was leading the group down the stairs.

"Hey, kid. Feelin' better?"

She nodded, "Can I ask you something?" He gave a nod without looking up. "Who is Muffy bear?" The fearful look he gave her made her laugh but he pleaded with his eyes.

"What's so funny?" James asked running up to the two.

Sirius frowned and was about to answer but, "He was just telling me a story, that's all."

By this time Remus and Peter had sprinted up to join the group, "What story?"

"You know," she continued, "the time he charmed the kitchen pans to chase his mum's cat around the house." They all burst with laughter that echoed through the halls.

When they reached the giant doors Sirius held them open, Courtney went in last. He followed her and whispered, "It was a bear that my favorite uncle gave me when I was little." She only smiled and nodded. They sat down at the long table in their usual group. It wasn't too loud, seeing that many were still getting up.

"I really don't want to go to divination today. Hitchkock is so weird." Sirius closed his eyes and put his pointer fingers on either side of his head, "Use your inner eye, my children. So that I may brainwash you and use you as my minions."

Seeing that it was quite fun to make fun of this teacher, Remus joined in. "Yes, children, now look into the crystal ball and tell me what you see." He mocked in a squeaky voice.

"Your face, and whoa buddy that isn't pretty to see." Courtney added. They all busted up laughing.

Sirius had tears streaming down his face and was having trouble catching his breath. "Yeah, you got that right."

Courtney sat and listened to the chatter of her friends as she peacefully ate her toast. The hair on the back of her neck stood up, she had the sudden feeling that someone was watching her. Setting down her toast, she looked around the now packed room. There were too many people to be sure if she was just imagining things or not.

She shrugged and turned around, poking at her toast. Her back prickled and she could no longer ignore the uncomfortable feeling. She furrowed her brow and looked up. She almost squeaked when a set of coal black eyes met hers. She had completely forgotten about the Slytherin table on the other side of Remus. Realizing who it was, she gave a warm smile to Severus. He looked surprised for a split second then looked down at his breakfast.

Sirius poked her side, she jumped a little but looked up. They were all standing waiting for her. "You ready to go to class yet?" She nodded and flung her bag over her shoulder. As they walked out she couldn't help but feel the same creepiness on her neck again.

The day went by fast until they hit double potions. It was another boring class taking notes on a shrinking potion that they would be brewing after lunch. Courtney sat next to Remus, who occasionally looked at her then back at the professor. After the first half hour she was curious as to what was so interesting.

"What?" She whispered.

He turned a little red, "Nothing, it's just you certainly did get a good bruise from that fall. You sure you feel alright?"

"Oh, yeah, I feel fine." She rubbed the side of her head, "Really, I'm fine." She added when he gave her a concerned look. He shrugged and mumble, "If you say so," before turning his attention to his notes.

Lunch went by smoothly and so did the remainder of potions. Except James causing the cauldron to bubble over, which then made Sirius panic and start mopping it up with the closest thing he could find. Unfortunately, it was Professor Regal's black cloak that he found. Of course, Proffessor Regal, being the nice teacher that he was, only gave him two days detention and ten points from Gryffindor.

Divination was as boring as ever and consisted of a nice long awaited nap for Courtney. James carefully poked her awake. She slowly oped her eyes to see James face magnified by several times. She screamed and jumped back, falling out of her chair. They all laughed at her, James stepping away from the crystal ball he was behind.

"Lesson learned, never fall asleep with your head on the table and a crystal ball in front of you." He said smugly crossing his arms over his chest.

Sirius helped her up and grabbed her bag for her. "Are we ready to go for a stroll outside? Without the Quidditch Pitch, that is." He added seeing the mischievous look on her face.

They walked through the halls, heading for the common room. They heard shouts ahead of them down another hallway. "Probably a fight or something. Come on."

Courtney was about to follow but decided to hang back. She watched as the guys walked down the hall, still talking normally. Quietly, she walked down the hall and peered around the corner. There were two guys, looked like sixth years, that were trying to beat up on a struggling kid in black. Her breath caught in her throat, _Severus!_

Without thinking she dropped her books and ran at one of the bullies that had his back turned. She stopped and tapped his shoulder, he turned around just in time to see a fist coming at him. He yelped with pain as his nose started to bleed. His friend, or so she thought, turned to see his friend on the ground at the feet of a small,fifth year girl.

"Bugger off or you're next!" She shouted at him, pulling out her wand.

He eyed her then his friend. He turned and glared at a bleeding Severus. "Don't think you've gotten off easy, Snivellus." They both glared at her before walking down the hall and out of sight.

She gave a smug smirk before turning to the Slytherin. He was leaning up against the wall with his shoulder, his face not visible to her. "You alright, Severus?"

He turned to face her, "Why did you help me? I never asked for your help."

She shrugged and picked up his fallen books, "Because they are stupid arses and don't need to go around harassing people. Here you go." She handed him his books.

He had his black sleeve to his nose that was slowly bleeding. "Uh... thanks."

She smiled at him, "They certainly got a wack at you. Why were they being stupid anyway?"

He started to frown but stopped himself, "Because they think they can. Don't know what your talking about, your sporting a pretty good spot there." He indicated her bruised lump on the side of her head.

"Oh, that? I sort of did that myself." He gave her a confused look. "Long story, well I have to go. I will see you later, okay?"

He gave her a small smile before nodding, "Alright, I'll hold you to it."

Courtney made it back to the common room to find a very miffed and worried group of friends. "Where were you? We didn't even see you run off!"

"Oh... I was just kicking some guy's butt. He was being a really jerk." They all swapped looks. "Ready for that romp around the school?"

_Wow... this is defiantly one of the longest chapters that I have written so far. And I must say one of my favorite!...I think... So, did you all enjoy it? I certainly enjoyed writing it! Whee! Hopefully I will update soon... no! I **will**_ _update soon!_ _I loves you all!!!_


	6. Unwanted Encounter

_Author's Note: Hey! ...I hope you are not all mad at me for not updating in... a while. ALRIGHT! Its been forever!... actually 2 months. I do have some excuses though. Loads of testing and projects and reports and other school related crap. Yeah, I know not that good of an excuse since I already had half the chapter done and did the rest in under 3 hours. **-sniffle- **I do apologize, though. I really like this chapter! Whee... sort of gives me the creeps! Whee! ...**-cough- **yeah. Hope you like and thank you to all my readers and reviewers! I LOVE YOU ALL! Now... here is your new chapter!_

**Unwanted Encounter**

"I don't get this!" Remus yelled throwing his hands into the air. He threw his quills down at his open book, ink splattering on the pages. "How can it possibly be _that_ potion when you mix _those_ ingredients? If you put powdered acid root with unicorn hair it cancels out the effect completely." Frustrated, he rested his head in his hands and groaned.

"That's only if you don't add lizard scales first. The poison from the scales enhance the acid in the powdered root, therefore makes it more effective." Remus sat up with a helpless look that made Courtney laugh. "How do you come up with this stuff? Do you seriously memorize these things?" Courtney shook her head. "It's good to have family that know potions. Now," she slammed her book shut and placed it on a small table, "do you want me to help you?"

It started with a simple one-on-one teaching session. It quickly turned into a James, Sirius, Peter and Remus lecture about potion ingredients. After a good two to three hours of reviewing and editing essays they were all exhausted. James and Sirius, who had let Courtney "improve" their essays, were still thumb wrestling.

James cursed as Sirius slapped his arm roughly causing him to lose the match. "You can't do that! You cheated!" Sirius was letting the whole of Gryffindor Tower know that he had won by shouting and jumping around frantically. James, seeing nothing better to do, slammed into Sirius sending him flying into and over a chair. "Cheater!"

Courtney cleared her throat rather loudly. "I am done rewriting your essays now. I expect about twenty dollars for every five hundred words, or a total of two hundred dollars for the entire paper if you don't want to count." Sirius gave James a look that could only be defined as: Bull Crap!

"You never said we had to _pay _you for help. We've never had to do it before." James said with a frown.

"Well, labor doesn't come cheap. Now pay up or it goes into the fire." Courtney stood up holding both of the papers, walking slowly towards the fireplace. "Don't think I won't do it, 'cuz I will." With a glance at each other James and Sirius rushed her. She squeaked playfully and ran around the room waving the papers.

Remus grimaced when the two overly energetic boys tackled her to the ground. He sighed as he turned his attention to his other homework.

"Remus! Help!...Hey, don't bite! Idiot, get off! ...Help!" Remus chuckled and shook his head at her pleas for help.

Sirius and James continued to wrestle, unaware that Courtney was not in the middle of it any longer. Remus only looked and turned back to his work. Lately he had been acting strange. He was usually just as active as the rest of the group but he had been taking to sitting out and watching. Had something happened at home with his family that he was unable to talk about? She hoped that everything was alright.

Remus looked at the staring girl that sat only a few feet away from him. She blinked, shook her head and looked away, obviously unaware that she was staring. He smirked to himself mentally as his heart had skipped a beat at her glance. _No, Remus she would not be interested in you, _he thought with a painful sigh.

"Oh, I remembered! We have Defense homework too." Sirius pondered his exclamation before adding, "I don't have any idea how to do that either."

Courtney rolled her eyes. "Is that my cue?" She asked as she stood up and brushed herself off. Sirius gave a sheepish grin as James nodded frantically. Courtney turned around to face Remus, who was still almost pulling his hair out because of his work. "Mooney?" He looked up, startled. "Uh, yeah, sure."

"Alright," she sighed. Sitting down at the table she searched through the pile of rubble that was their homework. Out of the corner of her eye she noticed that Remus watched her every move, a small smile reached her lips. She turned to meet his gaze, which he quickly broke, "I must have left it in the library while I was researching. I will be back in a sec. Remus," he jumped slightly as she placed a hand on his shoulder. "Keep these animals under control," she whispered with a smile. With a few graceful strides she was out of the portrait hole and heading down the hallway.

The library was not busy at all to her great relief. Only a few students were sitting at the large wooden tables. Fred and George were usually in here planning their next big 'treat' for Filch. She frowned at her thoughts. Shaking her head, she walked farther into the large room. She couldn't help but forget sometimes. She paused to look around.

Her book lay on the center table, near the middle. The furious scratching of a quill on paper grew as she moved closer. A black haired student sat hunched over a piece of parchment and an open book. They seemed very engrossed in the yellowing pages, underlining certain passages to take as notes for future purposes. His face almost grazing the paper before moving away slightly to glance at the aged book again.

"You need to take a break. It's not healthy to be that absorbed in your studies."

Severus gave the slightest jump. He glanced up with a sneer, "perhaps I wish to excel in my studies. You should be giving those oaf friends of yours the advice." Courtney had taken the seat opposite him and continued to smile wickedly.

"And perhaps even those who are so absorbed will never amount to anything," she replied.

Severus smirked at her nasty remark, he was rubbing off on her. "Your words hurt."

"Too bad they don't kill." She smiled evilly, her light blue eyes shining with fueled fire.

"Ouch, that really hurts. Now, did you just come here to cut me down or do you have a reasonable explanation for wandering aimlessly about the castle?"

She shrugged with a sigh. Severus studied her as she scanned the room. Her light brown hair hung over her shoulders and delicately framed her pretty face. She had the most beautiful eyes he had ever seen. If he wasn't careful he could get lost looking at them all day. He sighed, content.

A snapping sound brought him out of his thoughts. He blinked rapidly as he sat up straight. "Stop it. You're staring at my ugliness. Just try to bare with me here, ok? I'll leave you in a few, so you can check out that chick over there." She indicated a fourth year Ravenclaw who, unknown to him, had been staring passionately at him for the past hour. She waved a chubby hand at him, seeing that he had finally glanced her way. He gaped at Courtney with a look that could only be described as: My gawd, help me!

Courtney's smile remained as he took on his fish-ish appearance. "Aww, I think you two would look absolutely adorable together. I'll go ask her on a date for you." She rose from her seat only to be roughly grabbed by the wrist and held back. "You do," he growled in her ear, "and I swear to every god I know of, that you will not live to see another sunrise." Courtney forced her giggles down as he forced her to sit.

Severus glared daggers at her as he slowly took his seat. Courtney innocently glanced around the large library, ignoring his gaze. "I can't believe you would even think of such-"

"Do you play quidditch?" Courtney asked interrupting his scolding.

He looked taken aback by the question, though he quickly collected himself. "I play as a chaser. Why?"

She shrugged, "I was just curious. James and Sirius have suggested that I try out for the Gryffindor team. I really stink at quidditch though."

Severus smiled at her. It was not a mocking smile though, it was an encouraging smile. "I think you should go for it." She was surprised by his statement, she eyed him. "Seriously, there's no harm in trying. I think you would like it once you got the hang of it. Though tryouts are coming soon." He picked up his quill and began to write again. A sort of pain filled his stomach, it seemed to be in knots. "Icouldhelpyoupractice," he mumbled to the paper in front of him.

Courtney leaned forward, "what? I didn't hear what you said. You were sort of talking to-"

"I could help you practice." A huge wave of relief spread over him like cold water. He had finally got the nerve to say it. But what would her reaction be? His stomach started to ache again.

To his surprise she smiled at him, "that would be awesome! I would love to have help, and from someone who can actually focus on the problem. I love James and Sirius, they're great, don't get me wrong but... they have the attention span of a goldfish when it comes to being on brooms and trying to teach someone."

Severus smiled. Half relieved that she had not turned him down and walked away and half because what she said was true. "Alright, great. So, when do you want to start practicing? I am usually available on Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays-"

"How about tomorrow?" She interjected excitedly.

Severus blinked, shocked at her outburst. Then he nodded, "alright, tomorrow. Meet me in the Entrance Hall at one. Do you have a broom?"

"I will borrow James' broom for starting."

"You will have to get your own broom though." She looked at him confused, he smirked. "You know, with such an excellent teacher you will be on the team in no time. Thanks to my champion-like skills," he stretched his arms over his head with a lazy yawn. "There's really no telling how far you will be able to go with my teaching. Hell, maybe by next summer you could go to the World Cup." He chuckled as she dared to throw her book at him.

"Alright, Mr. I'm-top-notch-quidditch-all-star, I will see you tomorrow in the Entrance Hall at one. You know not to be late. Even with that oh so important schedule of yours." She gave him a final warm smile before disappearing through the doors.

Severus smiled slightly to himself. He felt so warm and light. His glance left the library doors and floated to the other occupants. All fuzziness left as he spotted the Ravenclaw gazing at him again. He quickly shoved all his things into his pack before sprinting to the Slytherin Common Room.

Courtney hummed a song to herself as she walked up to Gryffindor Tower.

"No, the meeting continues as planned. I will have no more screwing around. Make sure this goes right or you will have trouble." A man's voice growled ahead of her around the corner. Her breath caught, she really wasn't supposed to be hearing this. Gathering her courage, she peeked around the corner.

Several people stood in a huddled group. She recognized a few of them immediately. Lucius Malfoy, and Regulus Balck stood with three other students. One was a black-haired girl, about Courtney's height. She looked oddly familiar, though she couldn't quite place it. Her eyes sparkled lively even though they were a very deep color. The other two were males, one with blonde hair and one with brown hair. Both about the same height and built.

Courtney stopped her spying and prayed to any and all gods that she was not going to be killed. She pressed her head against the cool stone wall and closed her eyes. This was not going to be good.

"Well...Hello," a silky voice said close to her ear. Her eyes snapped open, her heart racing. Regulus was standing in front of her, staring. Though he was younger then her, he was almost a head taller. She felt herself cringe. She glanced around and saw that the meeting had been ended and that the other members were leaving in their own directions. Lucius, who had just noticed Regulus' stall and why, started to approach the two.

"Is she a problem?" he asked eyeing her dangerously.

Regulus shook his head slowly, not allowing his eyes to leave her. "No, not at all," he replied as her ran a hand through her long bangs and over her cheek. Courtney could feel her whole body shaking, her heart beat rapidly.

"If she heard anything...take care of her." Clicking resounded through the hallway as Lucius walked away.

"Such a pretty little thing," he smiled down at her as he inspected her face. "With the right people, you could go far. I could help you." His offer revolted her, though she dared not show it. He paused in his talk to rub his thumb over her lower lip. She closed her eyes as the tears started to well up in her eyes. "Just think about it," he purred in her ear before placing a light kiss on her trembling lips.

She waited until she could no longer hear his footsteps. She slowly opened her eyes and let the tears come. She slid down the wall to sit on the floor, hugging her knees to her chest. She gasped as hurried footsteps rang through the hall. Relief washed over her as Remus came into view.

"Where have you-" he was cut short as he absorbed her state. He quickly rushed to her side. Courtney clung to him as he helped her up to Gryffindor Tower, trying to soothe her with words.

_**so did you like? I did... well that's because I wrote it. I hope you did anyway. Please review with any comments and suggestions! (need those too!) LOVE YOU ALL!**_


	7. Full Moon Rises

_**Author's note: Alright, here is the seventh chapter like you have ordered. I hope you like it. It took me quite some time to write. It is one of the longer ones. I hope it does not get boring to you. Sometimes longer ones tend to do that (sorry if it is). Well, this chapter had to be long because it had important points in it. It had even more but I figured it would be too long. I shall put them into a shorter, next chapter! Thank you to all my reviewers! You really honestly truly make my day! Thank you so much!**_

**Full Moon Rises**

"I thought you said you were getting worse!" Severus shouted. She had just scored another ten points, if they had been keeping score, to add to her eighty. He had score a total of sixty in the first ten minutes. She had actually improved since their last practice. It seemed that she was not as bad as she had originally thought. Four practices had been enough for her to be Quidditch captain, though she still thought she was not ready.

She gave him a shrug and a dumbfounded look from her broom. "Maybe you are just out of practice. I don't know, I really do stink at Quidditch, though. Just a good day?"

They landed on the ground. Severus propped his broom on his shoulder as they walked to put the balls back in their case. She continued to mumble about what she could be doing that was not normal that would make her better. Closing the case she looked up at him, "I think it was just a good day."

He rolled his eyes at her. "Can't you just say that you are good at Quidditch and you have improved a lot." Picking up the case, which was fairly heavy, she started towards the locker rooms. Severus took the opposite side to help her.

"Do you really think so? That I should try out for the team?"

He nodded at her, "defiantly. You're good. Tryouts will be real soon, so you are going to have to make up your mind fast." Her stomach knotted up again. Every time someone mentioned the stupid tryouts her nerves started to wear. She had tried out for other things before but nothing like this! What if she made a complete fool of herself, and in front of her friends!

She shrugged with a grunt. "I suppose you're right."

"Course I am. Now," they set the crate in the locker room. He turned to her with a hint of a smile. "Do you think you need one more practice before tryouts?" She sat down on the bench. He rolled his eyes and sat next to her when she gave another shrug in reply. "Do you want me to have another practice with you or not? I am more than happy to help, you know."

"I know. You have helped me... loads. Maybe one more practice would be the best."

"Alright, we will have it the day before tryouts to make sure you are really ready. By the way," he stood up in front of her, "you did really well. Don't worry about it." He hesitated, reaching out his hand and placing it on her shoulder. He felt his heart flutter when she looked up with a big smile. Severus left the locker rooms with a small smile. He felt like he was floating. A content sigh escaped him as he made his was to the castle.

Courtney returned to the castle after showering and changing into her robes. She had a meeting with the guys soon. Actually, they had planned a meeting with every intention of keeping it from her. She could not let that go by without a good eavesdrop. They were her friends, what could possibly be so important to keep from her?

Before her hand reached the main door's handle it started to open. She jumped back in surprise, but offered the person a smile. A short Slytherin girl pushed her out of the way. "Move out of my way!" Lucius Malfoy smirked as he passed her. The girl seemed familiar. She had seen her somewhere before. It clicked.. Several weeks ago when she had an encounter with Regulus. She shivered involuntarily. That girl had been one of the people at the meeting. Even though she could associate her with the meeting she still seemed to stick out from something else.

Putting that thought in the back of her mind she headed up to the Gryffindor common room. Just as she had expected- Moony, Wormtail, Padfoot, and Prongs were huddled together in a small circle in a corner. Propping her broom against the wall she quietly walked over to the group of boys.

"I think we should just let it go. It was going to happen eventually, Moony. Why not just tell-"

"I don't want you to tell! I don't think it is a good idea. Not just yet."

Sirius gasped and sat upright as two arms wrapped around his neck. "What are you guys talking about? And you didn't invite me?" She put on a pouty face.

"It's nothing, really," Remus quickly answered. It was too sudden, and he knew it. He glanced down at his hands that resting in his lap.

"You alright, Moony? You look sick." Courtney crawled away from Sirius and sat next to Remus. His face was even more pale than before. He almost looked like all the color had been drained from his face. His amber eyes were considerably more dull, as if they were just hanging onto life. If someone saw him they would have guessed that he was incredibly ill, or had just saw a ghost. The latter happened too often for him to get upset about it.

He glanced up at her before adverting his eyes. "I'm fine. I just..." he trailed off, wringing his hands together. The silence was enough to hear a pin drop. Courtney bit her lower lip. Something was terribly wrong. Why wouldn't they tell her?

"So, how was practice with Snivellus? Do I need to beat the living-"

"It went really well, thanks. I think I might actually tryout."

Sirius gave a brief look of disappointment. "Oh, I really wanted to..." he trailed off as he looked at his open palm. He brought his other hand up and started to jab his pointer finger to his palm like he was swashing an ant or bug."Stupid little..." he growled as he continued to squish the invisible bug.

Courtney's eyes searched the other's faces. Remus, who had done a wonderful job of avoiding her gaze, looked at her with concern. She wondered if it had to do with Sirius' weird behavior or the subject that they had previously been talking about.

"Anywho, do you guys know the name of the black-haired Slytherin fifth-year?"

Sirius looked up from his hands, "which one?"

"I'm not sure. I want to know her name that's why I asked."

"There are few Slytherin girls with black hair. I guess you are just going to have to point her out to us," James said leaning against the wall to get more comfortable. She just noticed that he had also been acting strange. He had a smug look on his face, his arms crossed behind his head against the wall.

"What are we going to do tonight? Have any _fun_ plans?" She watched as they all silently swapped looks. James shook his head, Sirius replied with a "nope", Peter gazed off into the distance, and Remus looked at the floor. _Damn them!_, she thought to herself. "Well, seeing that you lot have done nothing to create plans, then I suppose I will have to. Let's see, we could..."

"Actually, you look really tired. You have been working hard and with practice and all. Don't you think you ought to go to bed. We were going to head to bed anyway." Sirius nodded to her, trying to get her to agree.

Just then the portrait hole opened and in stepped Dumbledore. He smiled at all the students as they looked up at him expectantly. There was a small twinkle in his eye that spelt out 'trouble' for Courtney. "Mister Lupin, may I have a word with you please?"

Courtney looked at Moony. He had almost been expecting Dumbledore's arrival. Grudgingly, he walked over to the bearded man. They walked out of the portrait hole, Dumbledore talking about his grade in potions. James, Sirius, and Peter looked about excitedly.

Sirius got to his feet. He turned from where Remus had left to Courtney. "Best you be getting to bed. Don't want you getting sick, do you?" Without waiting for her reply he grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet.

"What is this about, Padfoot. You all know something and are not telling me," she whispered as he led her towards the girls dorms.

"It's nothing to worry about, Elf. I promise, it's-"

She stopped, planting her feet into the ground. Spinning away from his hold she faced him. All patience had left, leaving a very miffed Courtney. "You are all talking in hushed voices, Remus looks like he is going to die, and you are all on about something or another! I want to know what in the bloody hell is going on!" The few remaining students in the room looked up at her shouts. She felt her cheeks flush. Feeling the piercing glares, she looked at the floor.

Sirius slipped his hand under her chin and lift it up. "I don't want you to worry. Neither would Moony. I promise you, it is all fine. Okay?" he whispered as he leaned down to look at her closer. She bit her lower lip and nodded. He wrapped her in a tight hug, "don't worry." She walked up to the dorms quietly. She had no intention of going to bed, just yet.

It had been no more than fifteen minutes before the three of them had wandered off through the portrait. They had waited until everyone had left the common room for bed. Slowly she opened the girls' dorm door. All the other girls were fast asleep in their beds. Courtney descended the stairs and went through the portrait. She checked her butt pocket for her wand. It was right were she had put it hours before.

She had allowed the boys to get a minute head start. There was no point in following them if she was going to be caught within the first few seconds. The castle was mostly empty except a few prefects here and there. She held her breath and pressed her body up against the stone statue. A red-haired prefect passed by her in the dark corridor. Lucky for her the man was too busy talking to another prefect.

The grounds were lit with an eerie whitish light from the full moon. Her eyes squinted to focus on a clump of black in the distance. Near the Whomping Willow was the unmistakable figures of the boys. Courtney watched as Sirius (she could tell from his long hair and height) transformed into a large dog. Peter seemed to vanish into the air but reappeared next to the froze tree. The three dashed down a hole without a backwards glance, all yelling and shouting with excitement.

"Oh, really? Well, two can play that game."

There was absolutely no one on the grounds to her relief. Closing her eyes, she cleared her mind of all thoughts. She found that it was rather hard from being out of practice. As she cleared her mind of all rubbish she concentrated on her animagus form. The sound of bones popping and muscles expanding filled her ears. When she opened her eyes again she saw the world from a whole new prospective. Perking her ears forward she could still hear the faded shouts of the boys.

The willow's branches began to make the slightest movements. She had taken too long. Sucking in a deep breath she ran full speed at the large tree. Large branches hurtled down at her charging form, missing her by inches. For as large of an animal that she was, she was pretty agile. Still running as fast as her legs would carry her she closed her eyes again. This time she thought of her human form. Just in time her large bulky form transformed into her human self. She had no time to stop. She found herself going through a large sized hole and landing with a dull thump on a dirt floor.

"Just wonderful," she muttered as she spat out dirt.

Unknown to her, a pair of glittering eyes watched from a distance.

Sirius watched as Prongs, in his stage form, clipped around on the wooden floor. A large and tired werewolf laid on the dust covered floor. He felt bad for Moony. His transformations looked unbearable. He would hate to go through them himself. He vaguely wondered what he would have done if he were put in Moony's situation.

The great wolf-like creature shot its head up. A low grow emitted from its throat as it slowly got to its feet. Sirius turned to Peter and James who were intently listening.

"Ouch! Stupid little..."

Sirius' felt faint. She had followed them! Prongs had already started to hold down the large beast. Sirius took this as his cue to get her out. He could hear James bleat as he struggled with the overgrown dog. Courtney screamed as Sirius rounded the corner, almost smacking into her. He forced the fur on his back to stand up on end, teeth bared in a snarl.

"Oh my!" she slowly back towards a door. Her hand groped for the old door knob as it shook. Sirius heard another louder bleat from James. He would not be able to hold him off much longer. This tactic was not going to work on her. Finding all his courage, he changed back into his human form.

"Courtney, you need to get out of here. I will explain later it is not safe!" She started at him. She put on a look of mock disbelief. He had the feeling that she knew more than she let on.

"What are you doing here? You are going to get in so much trouble if you get caught. Where is everyone else?" She tried to peer around him.

There was a loud bang. It seemed that since the werewolf could smell two humans its urge to kill and eat had gone up drastically. Sirius roughly grabbed her by the shoulders. "Listen to me! You need to leave now or-"

A slamming echoed through the house followed by a pained blat. The sound of large claws clicking against the wooden floor reached their ears. Sirius felt his stomach tighten. _Damn it! Why now! _The look on Courtney's face confirmed what he had feared. Out of the corner of his eye he saw a large paw swat at their legs. Wrapping her close to him, he ducked through the door behind her. He flung her to the floor, she let out a painful scream, as he slammed the door behind him. The old worn door banged against the rusted hinges.

"Courtney, get out! Find some way out of here! Now!" He noticed that she clasped her right leg close to her chest. A thick trail of deep red blood flowed down her leg, her pant leg torn terribly.

A final slam sent Sirius flying away from the door. A split second later he was a large black dog, the only thing between her and a larger, hungry wolf creature. His snarls and growls fazed the beast only slightly It took a step towards the dog and girl on the floor. The fresh smell of blood taking over its senses.

"Oh, shit."

Sirius barked at her roughly. _Why hadn't she moved! She was going to be wolf chow in a second! _

The deer shoved its large antlers into the beast's side. The beast lashed out at the deer. Sirius turned to bark at the girl again but could not. His eyes set on a large, muscular, black horse. It looked down at him with a snort. Sirius' jaw dropped. He had remembered her saying that it was a big horse, but this was a _big_ horse.

He jumped as the werewolf came skidding back to the open door. The human scent must still have been lingering in the air, but there was not a human in sight. This confused the creature to no end. It took it upon itself to examine every inch of the room. James followed Moony around like a parent would to a toddler searching a possibly dangerous play area. All five of them settled down in the room they had been in before her arrival.

Sirius curled up into a ball on the floor. He glanced at the large horse. She swished her tail uncomfortably. The back leg she was favoring bled freely. A small puddle sat on the floor. She let out a low grunt as she gingerly moved it. Her large black ears perked forward as the werewolf approached her. Sirius got to his haunches, just incase. She breathed a moan as the wolf started to lap up the growing puddle of blood. Gathering her strength, she forced herself onto her feet. With every other step she limped and her head wobbled a little upwards.

Facing the wall, she curled up on the floor. Sirius glanced over at James who gave a nod towards Courtney. Getting to his feet he padded over to the horse. She gave him a look of: "yeah, I know... you told me." He rolled his eyes. She winced with a small shriek as he attempted to lick the wound. She snorted at him, purposefully sending wetness his way. She knew she was wrong in following, she did not need his sympathy at the moment.

James, Peter, and Sirius had fallen asleep shortly before sunrise. She smirked as James' back leg kicked in the air while he slept. His pink deer tongue hung out to touch the dusty floor. Sirius was lying several feet away from her. His black head curled up with the rest of his body, a snore sounded every once in a while. Peter had found a nice old box and had curled up in that for the night.

She watched as the werewolf laid on the floor. Its amber eyes not leaving her black ones. It was almost a staring contest with no end. She broke the gaze as the first golden orange rays of morning splashed through the broken windows.

The werewolf began to twist and turn on the ground. Pain filled its body as it gave small whimpers. As fur turned to flesh several scratches and bruises became more visible. The beaten form of Remus Lupin lay unconscious on the floor. Courtney transformed to her usual self. Dragging her injured leg behind her, she crawled over to his sleeping form. She smile down at him as he squinted from the sunlight.

He moaned as his eyes fluttered open. A blurred figure was next to him. It took quite some time for his eyes to adjust. His heart stopped. Courtney was sitting next to him, a sweet broad smile on her face.

"Hey, morning sweetie."

He closed his eyes, a small smile playing at his lips. _Damn, if only I could wake up to that every morning. _His thoughts were interrupted by a deeper voice. "We have to get him to the hospital wing. He is going to be sore. You have to have your leg looked at, too."

_What! Why am I not in the hospital wing already? What is she doing here! She was not suppose to find out! I'm going to kill him..._

Courtney assisted the others with an extremely angry and sore Remus. To their relief no one was close to being up, yet. As they entered the hospital wing the nurse came rushing out. "I was hoping you would show up alone this time, young man." She showed him to a bed. "I want you all to leave now, I will not have you bothering my patients. Go, shoo." Remus started to protest but she silenced him with a glare.

"She needs help, too," Sirius piped up. He turned behind him to indicate Courtney.

The nurse looked at the questionable man before looking at the smaller girl behind him. She gasped. "What in Merlin's name happened to you? How did this happen?"

Remus sat up wanting to know the answer just as much as the woman. He felt a sudden pang of guilt fill him as she glanced at him for a second.

"I fell on a large, sharp rock on the way here." Her mumble barley audible, as her gaze was on the floor, unable to meet the nurse's or Remus' eyes.

_**Did you like it? I hope so. I will be writing the next chapter very shortly. Seeing that I have plans for it, since they would not fit into this one. Oh well. Please review if you get the chance. I love reading them and post a reply to all my reviews! Thanks so much! Loves you all!**_


	8. Second Thoughts

_Sorry this took forever but my summer has been more busy than expected. No, I have certainly not given up on this story. I am, infact, close to wrapping it up... I think. Anywho, thank you for all those lovely people who stick with me and give me hope. THANK YOU!_

_A personal thank you to AmeliaLee who REALLY got me off my lazy butt and back to typing. Your review really helped me! Thank you so much. SO... this chapter is for you. It is my longest yet. I hope you enjoy it!_

_Same disclaimer as usual. And if you are still planning on trying to say that I took all rights to Harry Potter you are- simply - insane... not that that is always a bad thing. :)_

**Second Thoughts**

Courtney woke to the sound of...

Nothing

She was completely alone in the too-white hospital wing. She found it rather odd that there was not even the slightest sound of chatter from the other side of the great wooden door.

"Creepiness." She shivered as her own voice echoed through the large room. She glanced around. Her eyes landed on a small vase with beautiful purple flowers. She smiled. So she was not alone in the castle.

Shifting her weight around in bed, she prepared herself to leave. If there was no one to yell at her to stay, then there was really no reason to. Slowly she put her weight on both feet. A groan escaped her as she closed her eyes. So her leg was in worse shape then she had originally thought.

The hallways were empty of both students and teachers. She vaguely wondered what time it was. Or, for that matter, what day it was. A harsh voice boomed in a nearby hall, echoing through the deserted walkways.

"It's your fault! If it was not for you, she would be fine!"

Courtney could tell that voice from anywhere. How many times had she heard that sort of tome come out of him? With her around, hard to say. With a sigh she hobbled down the hallway, leaning against the wall for support. She was not sure she could stop them but she had to at least try. There simply was no telling what sort of stunt either of the sides would attempt.

"Shove off, Snivellus! She is fine!"

She rounded the corner. Standing before her, twenty feet away, was Severus with his wand pointed at a livid Sirius. James, and Peter stood behind Sirius, wands at the ready. Remus was hanging back away from Sirius. His eyes were wide with shock.

_How many fights are they going to have because of me, honestly!_, she thought to herself as she watched from a distance. With any luck, Severus was just making a big deal out of nothing. She had been in worse situations before, this was nothing new... to her at least. She waited for the right moment to interrupt. Whether that be when she felt the need or when someone threw the first punch or curse.

"Fine? She has been in bed unconscious for_ four _days! Is that fine to you!" he shouted angrily. Courtney winced. Alright, so he was not exaggerating too much. His face turning a slight color of pink, she sighed. She had only seen him this upset once before when she had almost gotten herself killed. Of course, this was a younger Severus and things were different. No doubt he had not witnessed all the blood and killing his future self had.

The group of boys seemed to be questioning Sirius' statement.

Sirius, however, stood firm. "You weren't there! You have no business to say anything. You-"

Severus stepped forward, his face contorted with rage. "Don't think I know? Of course, I do. Dumbledore has me hush-up about it but I know, just the same. I saw you leave that night, wolf."

This made Remus panic. He stepped forward from his silent position at last. He outstretched his hands towards Severus, almost pleadingly. "Severus, you wont say anything... please, don't say anything."

"Don't worry, Moony, we wont let him," Sirius growled as he glared dangerously at Severus.

Severus eyes glanced from the black-haired man to the wolf. His eyes twinkled with a twisted sort of glee. This was his opportunity to get revenge for all the things they had done to him. "This gives me a good reason to. You attacked a student. The Ministry would not be happy with you or Dumbledore."

Remus paled. He looked at his friends, who all looked back with concerned, yet determined stares. Severus would do it, they knew he would. Courtney watched as Remus swayed to the side slightly. James rushed forward to steady him.

Severus chuckled. "Yes, I have half the mind to-"

"But you won't." They whipped around to see Courtney standing near the wall.

Severus, not paying any more attention to the others, rushed to her side. "What are you doing? Shouldn't you be in the hospital wing?" he pressed a hand to her forehead to check her temperature. All signs of hate and anger had fled. His black eyes were filled with a gentle concern as they looked over her face. "Your leg is bleeding!"

She glanced down at her led. The walk had taken more effort then she had expected. She had felt the cut slowly rub against her pant material on the way up the stairs. Now it had seeped through her pants and left a bright red splotch. There was only a dull ache. She shrugged, "I'm fine."

"No, you are not. I'm taking you back. You need rest," he insisted as he wrapped an arm around her to support.

"Severus, I'm fine, really."

He looked down at her, searching her eyes. His heart melted as she looked up at him with those stone-grey pleasing eyes. _Damn it! So much for that idea! _, He thought as he glanced away. His black eyes left her to search the other faces. They stared intently at the two of them. He could not force her to do anything that she did not wish to. No doubt the stupid dunderheads would not allow him to escort her to the hospital wing anyway.

The tight grip around her softened and then stopped entirely. He silently shook his head.

"Thank you, but I am fine."

Severus turned to her so the others' views were blocked. He lowered his voice and bent his head toward her. "Courtney, I want you to be extra careful. He... he is not what you think he is. He is dangerous. Please, I don't want to see you hurt again." He found himself unable to tell her _exactly_ what he was. _Someone is turning soft_, he frowned at the thought.

"I will be careful, don't you worry about me."

With a final look at the other men he left toward the dungeons.

Courtney turned to her friends. Sirius held his menacing gaze in the direction of Severus' exit. His wand hand's knuckles were starting to turn white from the death-grip on it. James was looking in the opposite direction up a flight of stairs. Peter looked dumbly at his unused wand. Remus was... missing. _Crap! Where did he go, _she thought searching her friend's faces.

James glanced at her and pointed up the stairs, as if sensing her thoughts. Not waiting for the rest, she sprinted, as best she could, up the stairs. "Courtney, wait! He..." She did not slow down. The long, spiral stairs led her to a portion of the school she had never seen before.

She opened the only door. It led to a small, dark unused classroom. She allowed her eyes to adjust to the dark surroundings. There were several tables that lined the far wall and the head of the classroom. A hush sigh floated to her ears from the far corner. Silently she closed the door behind her.

Her feet softly padded against the cold stone floor as she made her way across the room. Almost unnoticeable, in the corner, sat a heap of robes. One would think it was an old pile of ratty blankets if they had not been for the occasional quick gasps for breath.

Courtney bit her bottom lip. She felt her throat constrict painfully. This was not going to be easy. She knelt beside him and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Remus? Are you alright?"

Her voice startled him and he looked up. His eyes brightly shined even in the darkness. Seeing that it was her he quickly looked away. His gaze met the floor and rested there. "I...I did not mean to... I'm sorry. If I could have it my way...I ... I wouldn't be here."

She swallowed with unimaginable difficulty. She took a seat across from him, drawing her legs under her to sit on them. "Remus, don't say that. School would be absolutely miserable without you. Besides, you can't blame yourself. It really was not your fault." She managed to force a smile on her face. Bending her head lower, she listened for his answer.

Remus just shook his head. "No, it's not... you don't understand." He got to his feet without looking at her, for fear that she would be angry with him or he had hurt her even more. He wanted so much to just leave and hide. He wish none of this had ever happened. All he had to do was walk out of the room and go to the boy's dorms. Yet, he found himself unable to leave her alone.

"Remus, I do understand. It was not your fau-"

He spun around to face her. His amber eyes glowing in the darkness of the room. "You don't understand. Courtney, I would never want-" he broke off, turning away from her. A sigh escaped him as he brought a hand up to run through his golden hair. "I would never want to hurt you because... because I love you," he mumbled, finally facing her again.

This had almost been obvious to her the past month. He had said and done certain things normal friends would not have done. In the back of her mind she had been expecting it but now that he voiced it, made it real... she was speechless.

He must have caught on to some of her feelings for he knelt beside her. "I am sorry that I have to put you in this situation. You are the first person that I have gotten really close to and..." he trailed off. He looked into her blue eyes before looking away. There was a knot in his stomach that refused to subside. "It's just hard for someone ... like me to not get attached to people. I don't want to get close to people. Things happen and... I don't want that happening to you."

A click made both of them jump. Remus shot up and looked at the door. Sirius stood in the doorway. His blue eyes took in the sight before his cheeks turned slightly pink. "Oh...I...um. Sorry, wrong room." His last statement seemed like more of a question than anything else.

Remus headed for the door slowly. "No, Sirius, it's fine. We were leaving." Without a look back the young worn looking man walked past Sirius and into the hallway. Sirius watched as his friend left.

Courtney's eyes traveled from the doorway to the dusty floor in front of her. For some reason she felt empty. She immediately wrapped her arms around her self in an effort to keep out the cold that had washed over her.

"Hey, kid." She looked up, startled. Sirius had crossed the room and was at her feet, his hand outstretched to her. "It's alright, let's go. You need to get to the hospital wing again, anyway."

Courtney slowly took his hand and stood up. "Thanks, Padfoot." They walked out together, Sirius' arm wrapped around her. Sirius sighed as she continued to protest her return to the hospital wing. Though he knew it was the best thing for her he allowed her to return to the common room. He just knew he was going to get hell from the staff for helping her get away from the hospital wing.

The air became cooler, it seemed, almost over night. Students were all in a buzz about the upcoming quidditch season and possible players that tryout. Also, the first trip to the small village, Hogsmeade, was coming up very shortly. The students, that had signed forms, were always excited to revisit the place. Not only was it good to get out but they also had nice shops filled with goods and sweets.

Severus wrapped his black cloak closer to him. The wind wiped around as he sat in the stands watching the small figure fly around. Even after five days he was still nervous about her condition. She had refused, many times, to return to the hospital wing. He had tried telling her that if her leg did not receive the proper treatment that it would only make it take longer to heal. She had not listened to a word he had said until he mentioned that the team might not want a player who was injured.

The short trip to the hospital wing told her that she had been foolish in leaving early, and without anyone knowing. Her leg was healing fine, though, and she had permission to compete in the tryouts.

The girl landed several yards away. She smiled at him as she approached. "Think I did ok?"

He nodded his head, "like I have said hundreds of times before, you are good. There is no doubt in my mind that you will make the team." The wind picked up again, making his long hair blow around. He smirked as her teeth started to chatter. She had insisted on wearing "movable" clothes. Unfortunately, they were not very warm at all.

"Let's go inside before I have to take you to the hospital wing again." She nodded, teeth still chattering slightly. He wrapped his cloak around her shoulders as they walked up to the castle.

"Severus?"

He glanced down at her. "Yes?"

"If you ever take me to that stupid room again, I will kill you." He smirked and rolled his eyes as he held the door open for her.

She waited for him to close the door behind him. She took the warm, thick cloak off herself and handed it to him with a smile. "Thanks, not just for the cloak but for helping me. I really hope I just don't screw up at tryouts." This statement caused her mind to wander to all the quidditch moves that she had not gotten to the point of perfection. She bit her lower lip nervously.

"Courtney," Severus said trying to get her attention. She snapped out of her thoughts and looked at him. "You will do great. Don't worry about it. If you go out there and mess everything up they will still have to have you on the team." She looked at him puzzled. He sighed. "You do everything wonderfully. Even though you might think you messed up, you still did great. You will be fine."

Severus walked her towards the Gryffindor common room. She still seemed nervous but not as much. He decided to take her mind off the upcoming tryouts. "Are you going to Hogsmeade when the first date comes up?"

It was apparent that she had forgotten all about it or had hardly given it any thought. "Uh...I don't know. I suppose so, if my parents signed the paper. I don't know..." she trailed off. He looked down at her before averting his eyes to the empty hallway ahead. For what seemed the hundredth time when he was with her his stomach started to ache. His hands, which had been behind his back casually, started to sweat.

"I am probably going to go. I usually do." He cursed himself. How stupid did that really sound. If it sounded half as bad to her as it did to him then he was in trouble. "I think... I mean... you should go, too."

She looked at him with a sweet smile. "I hope I can go. It sounds like fun. I will have to talk to Dumbledore when I get time."

He sighed to himself as they reached the stairs that would eventually stop at the Gryffindor Tower. _It is now or never, Severus_ he thought to himself. No, he could go the next time with her if he did not go the first time. _Or one of the four arses might already have thought about asking. _With this in mind a new determination filled him. What would he say to her? I think you are cute and I would really like to go with you to Hogsmeade, before one of those dumb arses do. _No, best leave the last part out. The first part was fine... No! _He couldn't tell her he thought she was... Why did it have to be so complicated?

_Just say it already!_

Taking a deep breath he ...

"I think you are..."

NO!

"You should go out..."

NO!

"I like your dumb arse to go to Hogsmeade."

...totally screwed up.

Courtney stopped, shocked, and looked at him. He had paled several shades and stood with his mouth gaping like a fish. "What?" she asked.

"That is **not** what I meant!" To his surprise she started to laugh hysterically. Relief spread over him. She was not mad, she actually thought it was funny...no, she thought what he had said was funny. Did she think he was stupid? He took the moment in which she was gasping for a breath to also collect his breath, and thoughts.

"What I meant was, would you like to go to Hogsmeade... with me?" For such a short sentence someone could really screw it up.

She smiled at him. "Well, you certainly do have a charm with people, don't you?"

His brow furrowed. She did think he was an idiot. There was no point in persisting his attempts. "Never mind, I will go-"

"Of course, I would like to go with you. I have to see if Dumbledore will let me first." She switched her broom to her other hand and linked arms with him. He was somewhat surprised as she continued their walk to the Common Room, dragging him. "Sure, I will go. That is if you promise to watch my tryouts. You know, as a sort of good luck type thing."

Severus stopped at the portrait that led the Gryffindors to their dorms. He gave her a small smile. "I was going to watch the tryouts anyway, but since you promised you have to go with me." Courtney nodded, "and I will."

Courtney walked into the common room hoping to get a nice shower and relax time before she had to go down for lunch and finish her work. Sirius and James were sitting next to the fire huddled over a piece of parchment.

"What are you two up to now?"

They both looked up at her. "Nothing," they both replied in unison.

Sirius glanced at James, who was conspicuously putting the paper in his pocket. "How was your practice? Still planning on trying out for the team, right?"

She nodded, "Yeah, I hope I do ok." She paused and glanced around the room. "Where's Remus and Peter?" Peter had been leaving the group more often and Remus had been avoiding her for the past few days.

Sirius shrugged as he grabbed a chess board that was on the table and started setting it up. "Peter is off somewhere and Remus is up in the common room doing something. He said he was going to do his work up there." He glanced up at her, his eyebrows raised. She could tell just as much as he could that Remus had tried not to get in to contact with her.

Taking this as a hint, she put her broom aside and headed for the boy's dorms. "Courtney," she paused to look back at the two boys. "Lunch is in fifteen minutes, don't want to be late." James did not glance up but kept his eyes glued to the chess board, the pieces pushing each other to get to their correct spot.

The boy's dorm had four beds that made a semicircle along the far side of the wall. The closest bed to the left of her had decorations of many quidditch posters that lined the wall. The trunk at the end of the bed was halfway open, clothes were hanging out at all ends. An odd colored cloak laid near the trunk, waiting to be used the next time one of the guys decided they needed to sneak around.

The next bed had many fine clothes laid out on the blankets and on the surrounding floor. A chest at the foot of the bed was made of fine, rare wood and was labeled with a gold family crest. Many elegant robes hung out of the chest like the previous. Several expensive looking books that had been bind with special care sat on the side table.

The middle bed had creamy-tan blankets that looked as if they had seen far too many days. Unlike the previous two, the trunk was worn. The leather binding was ripping at the corners, and the metal corner covers, that had once gleamed golden, were tarnished and turning a rust color. The trunk was open to reveal a neat, but small, stack of worn robes. Many of which had been repaired with other pieces of clothe that did not match the color exactly.

Courtney's eyes left the objects that surrounded the bed and landed on the bed itself. A skinny and equally worn young man laid stretched out on the blanket covers, still fully dressed in robes. As she approached she saw that the boy's complection was increasingly better, though he had several new scratches. Taking extra care, she sat down at the edge of the bed.

Pity rose up in her as she thought about what he had said to her. If he could not allow himself to be near people, then how were they suppose to get to know him? Getting her courage, she raised her hand to his face and brushed the golden hair away from his closed eyes. As she expected his eyes slowly opened to focus on her.

His eyes widened and he shot up into a sitting position. "Courtney! What... what are you doing in here?" His breath was still slightly fast from the scare.

"This seemed to be the only way I would be able to see you. I wish you would stop ignoring me." She looked away to the wall as he struggled to collect himself.

He leaned forward to rest his head in his hands against his raised knees. "I truly don't want to ignore you. If things were different I..." he trailed off and glanced up at her.

She sighed without looking at him she said, "don't act like things aren't normal. I want to get to know you better, yet you push me away." She rose from the bed and walked to the door. "Lunch is in ten minutes. Why don't you come down with us?"

Remus sighed to himself and laid back down. Tired even more than before. He had not only let himself down again, but he had hurt her more. He closed his eyes as a familiar pain threatened to rush to his eyes, and constrict his throat. He moaned as he raised himself from the bed.

The four of them sat at the table with limited and awkward talks. Courtney raised her eyes to search the Slytherin table that was beyond Sirius' shoulder. Lucius was again with the mysterious girl that was familiar. She prodded Sirius with her fork.

"Ouch! If you want my attention, just say something." He said gingerly rubbing his arm and inspecting the damage.

"It's her. That's her, over there, by Lucius." She whispered ignoring Sirius' grumbling about abuse.

Without warning the three boys turned their attention to the Slytherin table. Courtney ducked down and scolded them for making it so obvious.

"That is Valisa Swift, she is same year. Some rich girl from a pureblood family." James explained as he turned back nonchalantly to his chicken and ham pie.

"Her family is nothing but trouble. Her whole family has been supporting the dark side ever since there was one. She even has the Dark Mark. She shows it off too. Only to students, of course." Sirius filled in without a second thought. "Why do you want to know?"

Courtney sat silent and stared at the young woman next to the nasty blonde haired man. The resemblance was clear now. The mysterious woman was now placed in her mind where she could remember how she recognized her. She had no idea. Was she ever suppose to find out if this had never happened? Then what did people think of her? Was she, too, considered a dark child?

"Courtney?" Remus said with concern as he shook her gently. She blinked several times and looked at him with question. "Are you alright? You short of just froze."

She looked at the other two. They were also looking at her with concern. She nodded and looked at her plate. "Yes, I'm fine."

The three exchanged looks before again looking at her. She, however, did not return the look, or say a single word. Courtney remained pretty quiet for the rest of the night until she announced that she was going to go to bed. The three guys all said their good-nights with raised concern as she walked out of the room like a zombie.

To the relief of the three boys that had been present, Courtney was filled with higher spirits the next morning. They did not know if it was because she truly felt better or if her nerves had pushed the trouble temporarily out of her mind.

Peter had returned late the night before. He was in a bitter mood, this was becoming more and more normal as time went on. His disappearances were becoming more frequent. The time he spent with the Marauders was becoming less and less. This had the guys worried, though Courtney seemed calm about it. She almost seemed to like his absence more than when he was present.

Courtney was closely tailed by Sirius, James, Remus, and Severus as she walked to the quidditch pitch. There was quite a number of people who were trying out for positions. As the four young men took their seats in the stands, Severus sitting away from the other three, she mounted her broom. She still insisted on using James' broom until she was certain she was on the team. James looked like he was going to go into cardiac arrest when she explained to him that it was a waste of money if she did not make the team.

The tryouts lasted longer than she had hoped but as the tests progressed she thought less about how long she had been sitting on the broom. She had gotten over thirty out of thirty-five quaffles past the Keeper, and was second runner up for the position in the performance test. The written test, which she had not expected, she had gotten a perfect score on.

Sirius and James rushed out onto the field as she landed. They were already congratulating her on doing a great performance. She shrieked as James helped Sirius lift her onto his shoulders. Remus, who had held back on the sidelines, laughed as she clung to him like a scared cat.

"Guys! Put me down! You know I hate that! Ah! Put me-" She screamed as Sirius pretended to drop her off his shoulders. Severus smiled up at her panicking form as she passed by. To her great relief, Remus had managed to convince Sirius to release her halfway to the castle. She teased Sirius and James by walking with Severus the rest of the way, knowing they would not go near him.

"This, ladies and gents, calls for a celebration!" Sirius roared to the entire of Gryffindor Tower as they reached the common room. Most of the students were, however, outside, in the library, snogging somewhere, or did not care.

Courtney decided that she was going to shower before they started the "party". Remus stayed in the common room as Sirius and James took their leave to the kitchens. By the time Courtney had finished and was presentable, the three of them had managed to turn the common room into a food area, dance area, and whatever they wanted to do with the extra room. Several students, who had been forced to leave or join in, had taken interest in the upcoming event.

Courtney smiled as she entered the common room and her friends greeted her. She flushed a bright pink as James announced her wonderful performance on the quidditch tryouts. There was a few claps and loads of chatter that filled the room.

Music had been playing and students took advantage of what room they had and started dancing. Courtney was content standing on the sidelines watching. She watched as Sirius approached her with a wicked smirk on his face.

"My, aren't we looking ravishing?"

She kept herself from laughing. She had dressed herself in jeans and a comfortable tee-shirt. "What are you playing at, Mr. Black?"

He raised his eyebrows at her. "I would be honored if I could have this dance." He held out his hand to her and smiled. She could not help but giggle as he led her to the "dance floor" and started slow dancing with her. To her surprise he was a very good dancer, as far as she could tell. She paused as he slid his hand down her back and winked at her. There were several whistles and catcalls as he dipped her and gave her a peck on the cheek.

She was blushing furiously as he walked her to the food. "I hope that did not bother you," he said giving her a look of worry.

She shook her head and flashed him a smile. "It was fun, though I do believe rumors are going to start to fly." As she said this she glanced around the room. There were already girls who were pointing and whispering to other girls that were absent at the time.

"Don't worry. The rumors won't go far," he assured her with a playful nudge.

Courtney spent the rest of the time avoiding prying eyes from girls and standing at the sidelines. She glanced to her right. Remus quickly turned his head away and was now focusing on the opposite wall. A pang of guilt rose up in her. He was always there, the sidelines.

A wave of exhaustion washed over her. She walked over to Sirius and James who were talking excitedly, with Butterbeers in hand, about some girl. They stopped as she came in front of them.

"Thank you, but I am going to go to bed. You really did not have to do this, but I do appreciate it greatly." She gave both of them a hug in turn before saying good-night. Her eyes locked on Remus who was still by the far wall. His eyes looked her up and down before turning to the other occupants of the room.

She walked over to him with a small twist in her stomach. She paused before him. He looked at her with what looked like sorrow. "Thank you, Moony. You guys are too good to me." She did not wait for a reply, but wrapped her arms around him in a tight hug. She could feel the hesitation as he moved to enclose his arms around her.

"It was really nothing, Courtney." He whispered as she hugged her. For the first time in days he felt a smile creep onto his face, and he closed his eyes.

She broke away with a smile. "I'm going to bed. Don't party too long. Good-night."

He mumbled a good-night and watched as she ascended the stairs to the girl's dorm. With a content sigh he closed his eyes and leaned against the wall. He opened his eyes as muffled shouts came from the other side of the room. Sirius and James were having a good time taking advantage of his moment.

"Go Moony!" Sirius yelled followed by a dog-like howl.

"You animal!" James added with a shout.

Remus could feel his face getting warmer. Trying his hardest to hide his growing smile, he turned his back to them and inspected the food. Why did they always have to be like that?

_There, done! I hope you liked! If not, please tell me what you would like to see. I am always open for input! Thank you again! I loves you all!_


	9. Christmas Delight

_Same disclaimer as always...This is a weird chapter but I hope you like it. The ending is... well not good if you ask me. Oh well, let me know what you think. Thanks! _

**Christmas Delight**

The Great Hall was already full of students eating an early breakfast. The four young men walked towards the Gryffindor table. Courtney had already been up and headed down for a very, very early breakfast. Lately she was having trouble focusing and sleeping.

A burst of giggles sounded as the group walked past the other tables. A group of girls were blushing and giggling like mad, waving to Sirius. Sirius waved back with a handsome smile and blew them a kiss. This drove the girls to no end. Several started to squeal and blush more. James attempted to wave to the group, but did not receive any notice.

"That's right. Get 'um all riled up." Courtney glanced up from her plate as Sirius and James sat on the opposite side of the table. Remus sat down at her side, giving her a side glance.

"Does it bother you?" He asked scooping some eggs onto his plate. When she did not answer he added with a wink, "You know you will always be my girl, Courtney."

Courtney rolled her eyes and glanced over her shoulder. The group of giggling girls were sending hellish glares at her. Weather they hoped she would burst into flames or just leave, she was not sure. Seeing that neither was going to happen any time soon she turned around to face her food.

Quidditch practices were really wearing on her. Not only was her sleep and leisure time fading, but her homework always barely got finished. At first she considered quitting the team. Sirius and James immediately told her that it was a horrible idea. They did not know how she could ever suggest it.

She had to admit that being Chaser was fun and she would miss it. The team was not good, it was absolutely great. There was a sure chance that they would win the cup this year. Even though practices were basically play time for James and Sirius they were really good.

The captain, Chris Taylor, was not thrilled with the duo's crazy stunts and dares at practice. Nor was he impressed with James' brilliant idea to catch the snitch at the last possible second their first game. James thought it would not only be a good show but worth putting the team in second, or possibly, third place if he let the other Seeker think that he could not catch up to the snitch. He did finally after Chris yelled at him and threatened to remove him from the team after the game.

Courtney stood up from the table. "I am going to walk around the grounds. Come on out if you want to afterwards." She walked out of the Great Hall. The group of girls' eyes following her with glares and rude comments.

Courtney wrapped her heavy winter cloak around her tighter. The cold winter air filled her lungs as she inhaled. Snow had fallen on the grounds to decorate it with what looked like an overabundance of glitter. When the sun peaked through the grey clouds on those rare occasions the snow glimmered beautifully. A puff of foggy air rose in the air as she exhaled. Defiantly a cooler day.

She loved the winter. She was not sure why, but she had an idea that it was because Christmas meant lots of people. Lots of people meant lots of empty bellies, which meant loads of yummy food. A smile spread across her face at the thought of Christmas dinner with Severus. The thought stopped abruptly. How could she be so stupid and forget? So Christmas was going to be different this year. She would learn to deal with it when it came to it. The thought of spending Christmas alone in the large castle did not seem too appealing, but it would not be a first.

"Gotcha!" She screamed as arms engulfed her and picked her up from the ground.

"Sirius! Put me down! I'm going to kill you!" She shouted at the top of her lungs.

James laughed at Remus' side as Sirius spun her around in a circle. "I think you are going to make her sick, Padfoot."

Sirius set her down with a wide grin. She huffed with a frown. "I should beat you to a pulp."

He raised an eyebrow at her, "I don't see that happening, little miss."

Before anyone could blink, Sirius was on the snowy ground with Courtney trying to stuff snow into his mouth. Remus and James rushed forward. Remus held her back as James stood over a very snowy Sirius. Sirius looked up at her shocked, as if he were violated.

"You look alright, Padfoot. Are you?" Sirius nodded his head to James, spitting out snow and wiping off his face. James pounced on him trying to finish Courtney's job. Before their eyes was a full out snowball fight. Sirius had managed to spring lose of James' hold and was hiding behind a snow drift. He hurtled large, icy snowballs at James, who was finding shelter behind a rock.

Remus grabbed Courtney's arm, pulling her back, as a snowball came whooshing past, missing her head by inches. With embarrassment, she smiled up at him. As her eyes traveled she noticed a small chain glittering in the sunlight, what little there was. Around the young man's neck was a beaded necklace with a Celtic-looking cross at the middle. It was plain, yet stood out beautifully.

"Nice necklace," she commented offhandedly, turning to watch the match.

He looked down at his chest to find that it had slipped over his shirt in the commotion. With thin gloved hands he tucked it back into his shirt.

"I mean it. It's cool." She wanted to make a point not to offend him.

He swayed back and forth slowly on his heels, his hands stuffed deep into his pockets. "Thanks. My mom gave it to me. A gift." When he saw that she was paying full attention, he added, "It has several charms and spells that are supposed to protect the wearer."

"So, does it work?"

He shrugged his shoulders. "I guess so. I'm still here, aren't I?" A small smile spread across his face when she laughed softly, a wicked grin on her face. It only meant that she had some sarcastic comment that she was dying to say. He loved that smile. It was usually worth waiting to hear.

"Go on, say it."

She laughed out loud. It filled the cool air with a certain warmth that spread through him. With glistening eyes she shook her head.

"I'm waiting," he urged.

"Alright! I was going to say: Unfortunately, yes. I should take it away from you. I don't mean it, though." She added quickly, a smile still in place.

"Uh huh, I see." He tried to forced the smile away from his face and only succeeded in doing half way. James and Sirius' fight was becoming more violent. They had moved from snowball throwing to chasing each other around in the snow with wands pointed at each other. Of course, there was the occasional curse or violent threat. This was normal.

Courtney side glanced at the golden haired young man. She had never really gotten to know him as well as she would have liked when he was teaching. Nor did he get to know her, or so she got the impression. "I used to have a sign," she ventured, looking back at him. He took his gaze away from the Black and Potter Smack Down to look at her.

"What sort of sign? A cult, no doubt."

She snorted indignantly with a frown. "Oh, you know me. Always in those cults. I'm a cult-a-holic. I'm really trying to stop." He chuckled at her statement. "Actually, it was a sign my friend and I made up. Quite nice, if I do say so myself." Taking out her wand she drew a circle in the snow, with two vertical half-circles that joined in the middle, with a cross through the center. When she was done she stepped back to survey her work.

Remus' face was contorted with concentration. He bent down to inspect it closer. With golden eyes, he looked up. "What does it mean? It has a meaning, doesn't it?"

She nodded with a long sign. "Outcast. It was our sign. We... ah... weren't the most popular people." She waved her wand lazily, looking at the sign in the snow; it slowly faded in the slight breeze. "I want a tattoo of it when I get old enough..." She was going to continue and tell him why, but could not. A small part of her told her that she would be betraying her friend in doing so. She held her tongue.

Remus stood up, narrowing his eyes at her. "Isn't a tattoo permanent?" She nodded in affirmative. "I don't think you should get one. It..." He looked off in the distance as he trailed off. "You don't need one. You look fine without one," he mumbled quietly.

"I wouldn't say that, but maybe you're right. I might, I might not."

The day past by slowly with grey skies. A chill stood in the air and refused to go away. These conditions left many of the students inside to be cooped up. Only a few very adventurous and brave, or perhaps just plain crazy, dared to venture outside. Inside, the thick stone walls held in the heat from all the roaring fires that gave off a pleasant glow. Every common room was more than pack full of people and their built up energy.

Courtney had decided to take a walk around the large castle while the rest of the group sat in the common room devising Christmas pranks and "treats" for others. Normally she would feel the need to be in on the action, but today, however, she felt like spending her energy on other things. Ironically, the long, dark, and empty corridors seemed the perfect place to be.

A chill ran down her spine as she passed a large window. Its surface was covered in a thin layer of frost. She grabbed her robes and wrapped then closer around her. Perhaps the higher parts of the castle were not the best places to walk around. She turned the corner only to find that she was not the only one to be out and about.

Ahead was the silent black figure of none other than Severus Snape. An evil grin spread across her face. She crept closer, as quietly and quickly as she could. With all her energy she sprinted and jumped on his back. This sent him in a fit of curses and frantic spinning,and tugging. After a moment she shouted, with much enthusiasm, "Guess who!"

Severus stopped trying to dislodge his attacker and sighed. "You are going to get yourself killed one of these days, Miss Kipley." His voice was rough, but not to the point of unpleasant.

She hopped off his back and gathered herself properly, "Well, just couldn't help it. You were just there and not looking and..." She trailed off as he looked at her with amusement. "So, what are you up to, Mr. Snapely?"

He cocked an eyebrow at her. "Since when have I been known by that? I don't recall ever giving you permission to call me by that."

She smiled up at him with a bat of her eyes. "I said so." She turned quickly and shoved her arm around his, pulling him with her. He stumbled a few steps before catching the flow. "So, what are you doing for Christmas break?"

He had composed himself and looked like quite the gentleman. His posture was incredibly straight and he held out his elbow for her, steering around the halls. His expression abruptly changed when she asked this question. A small frown came onto his face, along with it the small lines that accompanied it. She recognized those line, but she remembered them being deeper and more full.

"I was going to go home and visit my mother and father. My mother wants to see me bad. Or so she said in her last letter. My father usually arranges a party for his friends and some relatives. It's a big joke." His voice was full of hatred and disgust. An uncomfortable silence followed. He finally straightened again saying, "What are your plans? I'm sure your parents want to see you. You being so far from home and all."

A sense of guilt swelled in her stomach. She could feel her cheeks growing warm. "Actually," she managed to say with a steady voice, "I was planning on staying here for the holidays." At his questioning look she added, "They, meaning my parents, usually go on a vacation to a... uh... cassino. A place where they pay a lot of money to play games. I don't usually go anyway."

His face was a mix of interest and confusion. Apparently he had never heard of a cassino before. He nodded his head, though, and held his tongue. It was evident that he was thinking long and hard about something. It was on the tip of his tongue, but he did not know if he should say it. A small smile crept on to her face. He was very amusing at these sort of moments.

"If you would like to do something for the holidays, I'm sure my parents wouldn't mind you coming home with me." He blurted out quickly as they continued to stroll down the corridors.

Courtney paused in her thinking. It was a nice offer. She had always wanted to know what her relatives were like, having never saw any of them. There was also the question as to how the gang would respond to her going with Severus. More than likely they would make a HUGE deal about it, and refuse to let her out of their sight. She could image the group, namely James and Sirius, climbing into the Snape house in the middle of the night to "rescue" her from Severus. Of course, Peter would be close behind mumbling to himself, and Remus would think it was a bad idea entirely... yet, still go along with it. The thought made her smile.

"Is that a 'no' then?"

She snapped out of her thoughts. He was looking down at her. She could see a slight hopeful gleam to them. "I... I don't know. It sounds like a good idea. Let me think on it. I will have to at least tell my parents where I am going and such."

A small smile came on his face and almost brightened his coal black eyes. "Alright, you think on it."

Remus sat in his usual spot fidgeting with his fork. Dinner had started ten minutes ago and there was still no sigh. He could feel something was wrong, he just knew it. It was a sixth sense he had, along with some other wolfish senses. He nervously tapped the tip of his fork on the edge of his plate. It was a horrible habit he had.

"Will you stop it, Moony. I'm sure she just lost track of time. Stop doing that!" He slapped the fork out of Remus' hand. It clanked loudly on his plate.

Sirius, who sat at the side of James, gave a toothy grin. It was full of mischief. "You know what I think," he began playfully, "I think old Moony here has a crush on little Miss Elf." His grin was incredibly large and showed his white dog-like canines.

Remus picked up his fork while keeping his eyes on Sirius. He narrowed his eyes slightly. "What a ridiculous suggestion! I do not have-"

"Moony's got a crush. Moony's got a crrrruuuusssshhh." He batted his eyes at Remus and blew him a kiss.

His taunting was only encouraged by James hushed giggles that slowly progressed into booming laughter. Soon the whole Gryffindor table, and several others, were looking at the small group with growing interest. They did not notice when Courtney came in the doors to the Great Hall, linking arms with Severus Snape.

They said a sort goodbye and parted ways. She watched amused as James about fell over his seat from laughing, and Sirius crying he was laughing so hard. Remus, she happened to notice, was about ready to jump at their throats with a butter knife and incredibly red faced. Holding back a smile, she sat down next to Remus.

"What have you done now?"

Remus jumped at her side. A look of horror on his face. James and Sirius quickly recuperated and sat up quietly. This was, to say the least, a little suspicious. She surveyed the group with narrowed eyes.

"Nothing," James finally decided to explain... or to the best of his ability. No one else said anything, or volunteered to add to his statement.

She scanned the group, nodding her head slowly. "I see how it is. Fine. Leave me out of it." With a snort she scooped some potatoes onto her plate.

"It's not like that, Courtney. We were... just picking on Moony, that's all." Sirius pointed accusingly at Remus, who narrowed his eyes once again.

Courtney smiled and looked at Remus. "Are they picking on you again? It's okay, I loves yous anyway." She laughed and went back to fixing the food on to her plate.

James and Sirius watched as Remus turned a dark shade of red. He caught their gaze and silently threatened them if they said a word.

Sirius turned to her as if nothing had happened. "So, why were you late, little Miss? I do not accept tardiness." He said this with a mouthful of chicken and pointing a spoon at her.

"I was walking around and ran into Severus."

The very mention of his name sent the group into chaos. As she had expected. James was busy choking on his pumpkin juice, while Sirius patted him on the back. He had suddenly taken on a very father-ish look. His face was stern as he spoke. "What? What were you doing with... with _him_?" He spate this out as if it were a worm in his food.

"What do you mean? I was simply having a decent conversation for once. Which is more than I can say for you." She rolled her eyes when his jaw visibly clenched. "Oh, come on. I was only kidding."

Relief washed over Sirius and he gave a nervous chuckle. "Oh, I thought you were serious. You walking around with Snivellus." James was still coughing softly as his eyes watered.

"Oh, no. I was serious about that part."

Remus took over as another fit broke out from the other two. "What were you talking about with him?"

She tried to shut out the sounds of what seemed to be a dying goose across the table. "I was talking to him about Christmas break. Other things too, of course, but mainly that. He asked me if I wanted to spend the break with him, since my parents are going to-"

A loud pound came from the table. Silverware clattered on plates and several drinks spilled over the rims of their cups. Sirius was halfway standing up. His face was contorted with rage and disgust. The chatter in the hall had momentarily paused before resuming.

"I-will-not-let-you-to-go-with...with that _thing_!" He pointed a shaking finger at her, as his voice wavered unsteadily.

Courtney had never seen him like this before. Not even when he was yelling at _Severus_. It scared her to see him like this. Her mind quickly came back through her fear. Her usually happy face turned sour. "That _thing_, Sirius Black, is my friend whether you like the idea of it or not. And another thing! You have no right to yell at me and tell me what I can and can not do! I will do what I want!" With that said she rose from the table and strode out of the Great Hall, shaking with rage.

Sirius slumped to his seat, a look of disbelief on his face. He hopelessly looked at the other two before resting his head on the hard table. Unaware to them a certain "thing" had seen, and almost heard, the whole thing.

Severus sat at his table making "small talk" and slowly eating his dinner. After the idiot group had settled, he rose to his feet and took his own leave. The scene playing in his mind continuously did nothing for his nerves. He gave the portrait of the snake the password half thinking. He should have expected it... in a way he did. He already knew that they would not allow her to go with him. Of course, she was a better person than the whole bunch of them put together, and then some. She had stood up to that air-headed dog-faced Black. It was now her own ideas that she was following. This thought gave him new hope as he got ready for bed.

The morning did not find Courtney in any higher spirits. The incident at the dinner table had hit her with full force and she was not about to forget it. Sirius tried to mumbled an apology but he was unable to force himself to do it with so many people around. Peter, who had heard the story after joining them in the common room late in the night, urged him to keep trying. The group did not feel the same without her. Of course, they expected her to react the same. She did not seem to be having any after effects from the small absence, though.

Courtney took a lone seat in the second row of charms. Sirius, James, Peter, and Remus sat on the opposite side of the room in the very back row. James was trying to get Sirius' attention with his elbow, but Sirius seemed oblivious to the jabs into his side. Instead he gazed past the teacher to the front of the room where two large windows opened to the grounds. Peter sat in the middle of it all, with Remus on the end. Remus caught her eye and gave a small, hopeful grin.

There was a scuffle of feet and a thud. The class burst with laughter. She looked towards the aisle to find a huffing Severus, his books, paper, and quills sprawled out on the aisle steps. She stood up, glaring at the laughing students, and started to help him grab his things. He mumbled a soft thanks and looked at the top rows for a spot. Glares and laughter met his eyes. He growled under his breath with a frown.

Sirius had finally caught on. His rich laugh could be heard above everyone else. Courtney grabbed his free hand. He jumped at her touch, snapping his head to look at her.

"Come sit over here, Sev."

He gave a slight nod and followed her to her seat, taking one next to her. The bell rang loudly and the professor entered the room with a whoosh of his robes. His voice was misty and really easy to get bored with. His voice always stayed at one volume, loud. After a few weeks the students had learned to just live with his uncommonly huge gestures, and booming voice. Courtney figured the trait might be because he was a charms teacher. It required a lot of flicks and such with a wand, and a precise pronunciation of spells.

"How have you been?" Severus asked leaning towards her, his mouth only a few inches from her ear.

She shivered. She put a smile on her face. "I have been good. How about yourself?" This was a lie. Though she would never admit to it. It would risk her position and space that she needed to think properly, and it would only complicate things for him. He had started to do that. Caring about her affairs and well-being with a true concern. She appreciated it very much, but it was unnecessary in her opinion. In truth she missed the gang and their fun. Though she also realized that changes were occurring and she needed time to herself.

He did not immediately answer her casual question. His broad shoulders slumped more, his head hung down. She took notice to this, and bit her lower lip. From the display at the beginning of class it was evident that it was not running so smooth. She smiled at him, reaching her hand to cover his on the desk. He turned his head to look at her. His dark eyes filled with pain.

"Don't pay any attention to them. They don't know what a great person you are." He turned to look back at his books and notes on the desk, nodding his head in the slightest bit.

After charms she followed Severus down the hallway. Mustering up the courage, she dared to mention her plans for the upcoming break "Severus, about the offer you gave me for break. I have thought it over, and asked mom and dad. They believe, though they will not see me, it is best that I stay here for the break. I'm sorry, really."

Again he gave a silent nod with a glum expression. She had thought about it for a long time and thoroughly. It was best that she did stay at Hogwarts for break. She could be with her friends and she would not be in the way of anything. She had not come to this conclusion to benefit Sirius. It was not his influence that made her decisions.

"It is alright, it is only a dumb party. It's not all that good anyway. I don't even want to go. I can understand." He excused himself when they reached the stairs leading to the dungeons.

Courtney felt a terrible guilt rise in her. She had just turned down her father, the same father that had given her so much when she had so little. Even though he had no idea that she was his daughter, it still hurt her to know what she had done. Throat tight, eyes burning, and gasping breaths she ran up to Gryffindor tower to be alone. However, the sight that met her assured her that there would be no time to be alone.

Tears had started to fall down her cheeks upon giving the password and climbing through the hole. Peter, James, Sirius, and Remus sat in a small circle near the fire place. The only ones in the room, the rest either outside, eating, or doing homework. She hastily wiped the stray tears from her cheek as the portrait shut with a click. It was too late.

Concerned looks came from the entire group as she tried her hardest to hustle to the stairs that led up to the girls' dorm. She gave a frustrated sigh when her path was blocked by James. His blue eyes searched her face, his hands on her shoulders holding her still.

"What happened?" He asked worried.

She shook her head, holding back tears.

At the time she was not in the mood to discuss what she knew about and they had yet to find out. Her emotions became overwhelmed at the sight of her friend standing before her. In only a few short years he would be dead. Leaving a wife and child behind. His friends in grief, and Peter to wander like the scum he was freely as they suffered, alone.

Unable to contain the new wave of sorrow tears flowed freely from her already wet eyes. She collapsed to her knees, sobbing. James stood in utter confusion and concern, gaping at the young woman at his feet. Sirius knelt down, wrapping his arms around her. He rubbed her back muttering soothing words to her, "Shhh... it's alright... it's going to be fine..."

Peter stood next to James watching as the two sat on the cold wooden floor. He saw Sirius' pain filled eyes watching over the girl, and his kind words whispered to her. He scowled in disgust. Turning away, he sat in an armchair next to the fireplace.

With the help of Remus, Sirius was able to lead Courtney to the old sofa next to the fireplace. There he sat her down, she had calmed down quite a bit. He did not sit down, instead he took to pacing around the front of the stone fireplace, his hand running through his shaggy black hair.

Remus sat down next to Courtney who was still shaking. Whether it was from her experience or the cold room he was not sure. He put his arms around her, pulling her close to himself. Her head came to rest on his chest with a shaking sigh. He nuzzled her head before placing a soft kiss on the crown.

"It was him, wasn't it?" Sirius finally growled, pausing in his pacing. Though he did not specify who _he _was, it was well known who he meant with his harsh tone. Remus pulled back and looked down to see her answer. It was a blank expression, but a definite no with the shake of her head. Sirius continued his pacing with a foul look on his face.

She straightened to a lazy sit against Remus thinking of how their future could be. If she just said one thing, one thing that would influence them in a certain way. Their lives might change for the better... then again, it could become a complete disaster. There must be a reason for her being here with them. She already knew there was, but what? Why wasn't it clear to her? She had thought about it, yes, but never seriously thought of changing their lives. It was possible that she could save them all. She glanced at the small, mousy man sitting in the chair. Perhaps even him.

Peter must have felt her gaze for he looked right at her with his watery beady eyes. The foul expression stayed and he turned to James. "Aren't you going to finish that?" He pointed to the place where they had been sitting. A piece of parchment and an envelope lay beside a nice quill and a container of ink.

James raised his eyebrows in confusion. Then it hit him and he snapped his fingers together. "Right, I have to finish my letter." He walked over and sat down on the floor. Crossing his legs together he picked up the quill and continued to scratch on the parchment. Every few seconds he would pause to read what he had wrote with a face contorted with immense concentration. He ruffled his already untidy hair and started to write again.

"What are you writing, James?" Courtney asked with a cracked voice and mild interest.

Without looking up he answered, "A letter to my mum and dad telling them I changed my mind, and want to stay here for Christmas."

Sirius ceased his pacing with a frown on his face. His mouth opened to say something, but shut. He turned his head away from her to look at Peter, who was still in an awful mood. "What's got your tail in a trap?" The statement would have been funny if it weren't for the unusually harsh tone of his voice, and the tension in the small room.

Peter narrowed his eyes at Sirius. It was only for a moment, but it said a lot to Courtney. She had never been witness to Peter looking down, or even attempting to, at Sirius. It could already be too late for him. Courtney snapped back when the young pudgy man said "Christmas Break".

"What?" Courtney asked in a rather stupid way.

James held up his finished letter as if it were a prized Quidditch trophy. "He has to go home for break. His parents wont let him stay, family get together," he filled her in as he set down his quill and once more looked over his handy work.

"Did you try writing and-"

"I already did that," Peter snapped savagely at her without making the effort to look.

Courtney sat appalled at the sudden attack. It was clear that she was not the only one either. Remus had lifted his head from its resting on the couch to stare at Wormtail.

"It's not going to be all that fun here, Wormtail. You wont miss anything big. There is no point in snapping at Courtney."

The room held an incredibly awkward silence. Only the occasional crackle from the fireplace was heard. Of course, there was also the oblivious James who mumbled fondly to his letter and scratched in more lines.

Courtney jumped when a soft voice whispered, "Won't you tell me?" in her ear. Sirius had slipped to the back of the couch and was leaning over to look at her, his face full of concern.

Courtney bit her lower lip as she averted her eyes to her hands that rested in her lap. "In time..." was all she could bare to say at the moment. She would, at some point she would. This silent promise to herself and to them was made there and then. She had to tell them, and possibly help them to better their futures if she could.

The small time that had remained came and went with immense speed. The hallways were busy with students and their small bags of luggage home for the long winter break ahead. Courtney had gotten up early that morning to have a quiet and rather uncomfortably lonely breakfast. To her great pleasure Severus was not mad at her in the least bit. He had abandoned his seat at the empty Slytherin table to join her at the equally empty Gryffindor table for a breakfast chat.

The two walked out of the Great Hall once they had finished with their meal. Severus had suddenly become exceptionally quiet, not that he was never that way in public. He paused after grabbing his small, elegantly designed trunk. His black eyes looked down at her then went to the floor before them as his free hand went to his pocket.

"I...I was hoping you would come see me...This morning, I mean. Before I left." He produced a small package that was expertly wrapped in golden and red paper. His eyes searched her face as he handed the small parcel to her.

Courtney took it with flaming red cheeks. She hated getting gifts. For some reason it was too much for her. A large smile spread across her face automatically.

"Open it," he said urging her on with a small smile.

Courtney, with very red cheeks, carefully tore off the paper and opened the box. Inside was a small silver chain necklace with a dangling tear shaped ruby sparkling up at her. She had no idea what to say or do... so she did the next best thing. She stood there gaping like a fish out of water as Severus, to her surprise, turned a slight shade of pink in the cheeks.

"Well? Do you like it?" He asked with slight amusement in his voice.

Courtney swore louder than she had planned, catching the eye of a few students and a scorn from a teacher. She nodded as she looked from the necklace to Severus. "Yeah, it's...wow. You really didn't have to get me anything."

Severus frowned at her. "Of course I did. You are always the one who helps me and is nice. I just wanted to show my appreciation. I thought this would be the best way."

Courtney felt eyes on her as Severus grabbed the necklace and moved behind her to slip it on. She moved her eyes to the floor when one two girls pointed and started to whisper. One was a very miffed looking Slytherin. She secretly hoped the girl did not have some sort of crush on Severus.

"There, it looks wonderful on you," Severus said standing back to admire the jew around her throat. His face had returned to its normal shade, but he still held his small smile.

Courtney wrapped him in a tight hug. "Thank you so much, Severus. It's beautiful!"

He enclosed her in a hug as his smile grew. Closing his eyes he thought to himself, _Thank gawd she actually liked it._ His eyes snapped open quickly when he felt something press against his cheek. It had only taken a brief second, she was no longer close but it had been - possibly - the best moment in his life. _He_, Severus Snape, Snivellus Slytherin extraordinaire, had just received a kiss from the popular and incredibly pretty Gryffindor Queen...Or that is how he pictured her. (She would differ in opinion however.)

Courtney watched as Severus stood, dumbfounded, staring at her. A hand unconsciously, or consciously, she was not sure, reaching to the spot she had just kissed his cheek. The pinkish tint was slowly returning to his face.

"Students that are leaving for the break need to come this way with their things," the demanding voice of the charms professor rang over the Entrance Hall.

Severus snapped out of his daze, quickly lowering his hand and collecting himself. He bent down and grabbed the handle of his trunk before looking up at her again. "I will see you after break. I hope you have a good Christmas, Courtney."

Courtney watched as the carriages with the weird-looking horses traveled off into the distance. She sighed when she could no longer see them. Another Christmas coming and no family to spend it with. Of course she now looked at Sirius, James, and Remus as family- or at least close, close friends. Hopefully it would not be as bad as past holidays had proved themselves to be.

Upon entering the common room she found the three boys, Peter had gone home with his sour attitude, laying around like dead dogs. Sirius looked lazily to the portrait when it shut with a click. He moaned a good morning from his spot on the fluffy couch. James followed suit with a nod in her direction. Remus looked far worse then the two others. Apparently the full moon was not far off. Courtney felt a little better about staying. She was one more person to help Moony during their little romps in the moonlight.

Sirius and James, with a little help from Remus, had come up with the bright idea to play a prank on one of the teachers while break was on. The plan consisted of sneaking around into one of the teacher's rooms, a jar of some sort of creature or plant Sirius had spotted in the Herbology storeroom, and a nice hiding spot to watch the plan unfold.

Courtney had listened to a hysterically laughing Sirus and James as they laid the plan out to her. She did not think it was the best idea, though they had done most of their research and it did seem fool proof. Though she claimed she wanted nothing to do with it Sirius had managed to drag her along with them.

"Courtney, do you see anyone?" Sirius asked from his spot in the bedroom door.

Courtney stood in the doorway to the Muggle Studies teacher's main room. She frowned and put her hands on her hips as she spun around, leaving her lookout post, to glare at him. "Hmm, let's think about this. If I _saw_ some teacher coming do you think I would be standing here, in plain sight?"

Sirius did not see her logic and shrugged quietly. "You do do a lot of odd things. It wouldn't surprise me."

Courtney snorted and turned back to the hallway that she was supposed to "guard". She didn't see the sense in it. There had not been a teacher up here for the entire day, though they did not know why. The professor had been there the night before. They had all had a very unexpected run into her in the hallway after hours.

James ran out of the bedroom, knocking Sirius aside, with a wide grin on his face and an empty jar in his hand. "Let's go. When we see her coming to bed we can take the passage on the map to get to the extra closet next to the bathroom. We can sneak from there. She will be in too much of a panic to realize we are there anyway."

Alright, so maybe his entire plan was not fool proof.

Christmas slowly approached with more snow and more noise from the remaining students. They all seemed excited, especially Sirius and James. Courtney had never really been excited about Christmas. She had never really had a good reason to be, until she was adopted... but once again she was alone for the holidays. It was nothing new, she reasoned with herself, and she would get over it quickly enough.

Courtney sat in the common room looking over the homework that she had for potions. Though the entire class complained, even Severus and herself, the professor insisted on homework over the break. So they all did not get "sluggy" when it came time to do a potion after break. Whatever that meant, she was not sure. A tap on the large window made her look up from her large text book. A very large black raven sat on the ledge of the window, a letter attached to its foot.

She jumped up and opened the window letting it in along with the bitter cold air outside. James made a loud shout about how cold it was as he sat next to the roaring fireplace. Courtney quietly apologized sitting down to the table that she had been at. The raven's beady black eyes watched her move to remove the letter and unfold it. It let out a loud screech, demanding something for the long journey.

This caught the attention of the boys who were conversing in a circle. Sirius stood up to look over the couch. He raised his eyebrows at the large bird, "Presents already? Mine usually wait until the day before." He leaped over the couch's back with ease.

Courtney rummaged through her bag for a treat for the bird. "No, it's a letter... do you have a treat for a... raven?" She found a slice of cookie that James had nicked from the kitchens that morning. "There," she said shoving the cookie at the bird.

James followed his friend and jumped over the couch. Or at least attempted to, his foot hit the top of the couch and left him with nothing but his stomach, face, and hands to break his fall. Sirius burst with a roar of laughter as his friend made a wonderful example as how not to land on the floor. Remus, who seemed to be the most intelligent at the moment, walked around the couch. He stood at the side of the table inspecting the large but elegant bird.

"Who is it from?" He asked when he saw her name elegantly etched on to the parchment envelope. His stomach turned with his suspicion of who exactly it was.

"I think it is from Severus," she said nonchalantly as she opened the envelope.

With this bit of information James and Sirius lost all interest and retreated back to their spots by the fire. Or course not without the suggestion that they should roast Snivellus' bird and send it back to him as a Christmas present.

Courtney ignored the comment and started to read the letter.

_Courtney,_

_I hope the idiots are not giving you too much trouble. It is exceptionally boring here with my mother's and father's friends showing up everyday. Of course, I hardly know any of them. Nor do I care to get to know them. I hope you have a good Christmas without having gone home. I still don't understand the whole casino thing that your parent's do on the holidays, but it sounds interesting. Maybe I am just talking nonsense. I will see you soon, or I hope to anyway. I already miss you._

_Sincerely,_

_Severus_

Remus turned back to the other two next to the fire. His mind flooded with new possibilities. Had she actually learned to like Severus for more than a friend? The way he always acted around her, it was evident what his intentions were. The real question was if she was willing to have the same feelings towards him. Personally, he could not- would not - picture her with him... ever. He sighed as he sat down in the armchair. His head propped up by his fist as he stared at the flames of the fire. Perhaps that was just wishful thinking.

A red gleam caught his eye from the table. His amber eyes adjusted to see where exactly the light had come from. Courtney was rereading the letter with concentration etched on to her face. With her free hand she twisted a necklace around carelessly. Its silver chain spun with her help, then spun the opposite direction without assistance. The red jew in the middle caught the light rays that dared to come into the room from the window next to the table. Again the moment of red glow made his attention alter.

He swallowed hard, taking up enough courage. "Is that your early gift from your parents?" he asked trying to sound uninterested.

She glanced up at him, then noticed that she had removed the necklace from its hiding place under her shirt. "No..." she said as she stuffed the letter away in her book that rested in her lap. "It was a gift from..." She slowly got softer as she talked, so much that the last words were no more than her mouth moving without a noise.

Remus frowned at her shyness. Courtney was hardly ever shy. If she was, it was for a reason. His subconscious told him not to presume his prodding. However, his other self wanted to know where this gift had come from. For some reason he saw it as his business, his personal right to know.

"What?" he asked quietly.

"It was a gift that Severus gave me before leaving." With this said she rose from her chair, collected her books and papers, and walked up to the girls' dorm. A blank look on her face.

Remus turned to the other two without a word, or added expression. Both James and Sirius had adverted their attention to their friend in the chair. Sirius wore a look of pity and concern, while James just looked on with disbelief. He had known this was going to happen. The one time he had a chance at anything it was usually messed up or interrupted. He could see now that there was no way that he could compete with the gifts that Severus was able to provide her with. He had nothing to give her, though he wish he did.

Christmas morning found the group with high spirits, and loads of noise in the common room. The Christmas tree was full to the brim with presents ranging from ones that could fit a pair of gloves, to ones that looked as if they could almost fit a stove. Of course no one was privileged enough to receive a stove for Christmas, but some awesome gifts were unwrapped.

Sirius had gotten a new broom, a new set of quidditch uniforms (custom made), a book of professional quidditch players and their career, and many other small and larger things.

James was pleased to show off a new set of quidditch boots that were made of dragon hide, a new cloak (his old one was burnt from potions class) a brand new snitch of his own, and some money from his grandparents.

Remus did not get presents that were quite as expensive, but he did get some pretty nifty looking clothes, books, and few candies and other goodies from his parents.

Courtney sat in the armchair and watched as the overexcited guys unwrapped their presents. She almost laughed at their reactions. They were almost like six year olds opening presents on Christmas. All had large smiles on their face and were showing off their presents to each other as if were a medal they had won for doing some heroic deed.

Then the tables were turned and Sirius finally notice, after opening all of the presents he had gotten, that she was not joining in. In fact, he also pointed out to the whole of the group that she did not have any presents that she had dragged out from under the tree.

"What's wrong with you? Are you mental? Come on, I will get your presents for you if you are too lazy to get them yourself." He turned to the tree and started to look through the rummage of wrapping paper, and other students presents- which were very few in number. He slowly turned to her, "You don't have any presents?"

She shrugged and looked around to the other two who sat in shock. "I didn't ask for anything. I really didn't want anything anyway, it's alright."

The three exchanged looks that ranged from concern to confused. They did not understand how she could be so calm about no presents on Christmas morning. They did not find it a good idea to press the matter, however.

After changing and putting their gifts away in the rooms they all decided it would be a good idea to head down for a large breakfast. Sirius talked excitedly to James about his new broom. They both started to make new, and rather dangerous sounding, stunts that they could not wait to try out. Courtney secretly hopped they had never heard of skiing or snowboarding. She did not want to imagine the crazy ideas they would create if they had that drilled into their heads.

At the small sat the few remaining students and professors. Dumbledore sat at the far end with a large grin on his face when they entered. The charms professor was still talking to him though he had removed his gaze from her. Courtney heard the end of what she said as she sat down to the table.

"...I swear I keep hearing a growing, or something in the room. Every time I go by... did Loraine leave a pet in there?"

She gave it no more thought as she sat down and stared at the wonderful looking food. This was a holiday for feasting, not giving, and that is exactly what she intended to do. The rest of the marauders seemed to have the same idea. Sirius and James were quickly stuffing eggs and bacon into their mouths, while Remus piled another pancake on to the stack of three on his plate.

_This will defiantly call for a nap in the evening_, she thought to herself.

That night, while the boys were still busy looking over their gifts, Courtney thought it would be good to go on one of her nightly strolls. She was passing the large hallway that led to the Entrance Hall when she heard hushed voices coming from the room. Quietly she tiptoed to the corner of the hall and peered around.

Dumbledore was talking to a student in black, and nodding his head. The old man did not seem to be mad in the least bit. With a final nod and quiet good bye the old man walked up the flight of stairs and down the opposite hall. The student grabbed a trunk and carried it towards the stairs that led to the Slytherin common room.

Courtney ducked behind the railing to get a better look. To her disappointment the student had quickly descended the stairs. She bit her lower lip, scrounged up her courage, and raced down the stairway to the smaller one leading into the dark dungeon. The hallways were dark, as always. She maneuvered around them with ease from her experience in the dank area. Though she did not like it all that well and preferred the tower, she had come to think of the place as home before.

At the portrait of the snake she saw the student standing alone, talking to himself. His voice was awfully familiar to her. She paused to think. It would help if she could actually she the person in the light and not just the silhouette in the pitch black.

His mumbles echoed in the small stone walls. They sounded frustrated and angry. He moved around inside his cloak or robe, she could not tell which, and produced what she guessed to be a wand. A small humming noise came after he mumbled, and the area before his wand was glowing with a soft white light.

"Severus!" Courtney gasped. Partially from surprise that he was back, and half the fact of the condition he was presently in. The small portion of his pale face that she could see had bruises and a angry-looking red scratch down the side.

He spun at her outburst to face her. His wand pointed directly at her chest, his own chest unsteady from the scare. He squinted from the light into the dark to see to her. "Courtney?"

She did not reply to his questioning stares. A hand had automatically raised to cover her mouth as it gaped stupidly. His left eye was blackish-blue, accompanied with several more bruises and scratches. What had happened to make him so beat up?

Within seconds he turned away, gave the password and disappeared into the whole it opened. Courtney followed suit, though she was quite sure this was not what he had wanted. She watched as he shot through the common room, up the few stairs and in the direction of the boy's dorms. His black traveling cloak billowed out behind his retreating figure.

"Severus, wait!"

This had the opposite effect she was hoping for. At her words he broke into a jog without looking back. A door slammed ahead of her, leaving her in the too quiet and too empty common room. With many second thoughts she slowly walked in the direction of the boys' dorm room. At the door she paused to listen. She pressed her ear against the wooden door. Inside there was not the slightest noise.

She tried the knob and found that it did not lock itself. The door creaked on its hinges as she slowly opened the door. The dark figure of Severus sat on the far bed, his trunk flung carelessly to the side, opened in the hurry. A small sob made her cringe. Through all her hopes she could see now that something terrible had happened.

With a deep breath to calm herself she walked over to the bed and sat down to face him. His shoulders hunched forward, and a gloved hand covered his forehead and eyes. Another quiet sob came from him and he shook with the effort to hold it back.

"Severus," she said reaching up and taking his hand off his face into her own cold hands. He did not look up, but the marks were still visible on his face as well as the tears that fell down his cheeks. "What happened to you, Severus?"

The young man shook his head before moaning and removing his hand from her grasp and wiping off his face. His black hair fell forwards as he sighed into a glove. "It is a long story... it's not that important."

"Bull shit!" she said with more of a snap then she had intended.

Severus looked up at her. She apologized before adding, "It has to be something important if you come back like this, and are this upset over it. Tell me... please?"

He bit his knuckles as a new sob came from him. A few tears fell down his cheeks again, but he made no effort to wipe them away. "My father got upset with me, that's it. It doesn't matter why... I don't want to talk about why..."

Courtney took his free hand from his lap in her own and smiled at him. She was not sure how much good she was doing or if she was making him feel worse but she wanted to help. When another sob came from him she wrapped him in a tight hug. She noticed that he flinched before relaxing.

"I'm glad you did not come with me. I don't know what would have happened if he... got pissed with you. I don't know why I was so stupid to even suggest it."

Courtney shook her head against his shoulder, "I don't care, Severus. I think we could have taken him on. You know, set his pants on fire or kick him in... well, where it counts."

A muffled laugh came from him and he tightened his hold on her. "Thank you," he whispered to her with a small smile that had been absent the good part of two weeks.

_Alright... yes it has been over six months since I have updated this story. And if you are still reading it and are not mad with me I am very surprised but very grateful! I am sorry and all and know I really don't have a good excuse, but I do try. I hope you like this chapter, I will be wrapping this story up soon. I mean it! I have the whole thing planned out and I just have to sit my butt down to the computer and type it (that's the hard part) Thank you everyone!_


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